To Doubt The Bonds of Life Book 9
by Luna Silvereyes
Summary: Saeka is burdened with sadness and Sesshomaru is regressing. Meanwhile, Saaya is bitter and angry because of Naraku's death by her father's hand. As all of this is going on, Someone from Saeka's past appears with a dark vengeance for her 'actions'.
1. An Unexpected Visitor

To Doubt The Bonds of Life

Luna Silvereyes

An Unexpected Visitor

Sesshomaru was walking with Saeka outside the village, about a month after the battle at Naraku's castle. He still hadn't told her what he'd done. Naraku was yet again, still alive. But he was certain that he wouldn't last long anyway. Naraku had been very weak and almost dead, even though he'd been revived. But Sesshomaru wasn't sure that either killing him, or reviving him were the best ideas. He knew that Saaya and his greatest enemy greatly cared for each other, but he wasn't going to let that happen. He'd forbidden Saaya to leave the village and had Mononoke keep her under constant surveillance.

But he was slightly nerved at present. Saeka had had a horrible recall on some terrible memories from back when she lived in the valley. She'd woken up screaming and the scars on her arms were mysteriously enflamed. He'd managed to calm her down, but she was quiet. Her memories were eating away at her, forming a knot in the pit of her stomach. He looked across at her. He always marveled at how calm she usually was, even in the face of danger. Whenever he left for a while, she'd wait patiently for him to return. There were often times like this when he stopped to consider what he'd possibly do if he ever lost her.

" Saeka." He said.

" Yes?" she replied.

" I've been wondering. What can you possibly see in me to make you want to stay?" he asked. " I'm just curious."

" Sesshomaru, are you doubting again?" she said playfully. She sighed. " I stay with you because I love you. You're everything to me."

" Why?"

" Sesshomaru, why are you asking me this?"

" Never mind." He muttered. Saeka sighed again. " Sesshomaru, just settle yourself with this; I love you and that's that." She said. He smiled a little. " Okay. Then it's settled." He said. Saeka stared up at the sky. Since she'd met Sesshomaru, her life had taken a turn for the better, much, much better.

Back at the village, Kagome, InuYasha and Saaya were sitting in Kaede's hut watching Sakura toddle around Saaya who was sitting in the middle with a sad look on her face.

" Poor Saaya." Kagome whispered to InuYasha.

" Yeah. She was really broken up over him dying, wasn't she?"

Sakura tripped and fell to the floor, screaming, though she wasn't hurt. Saaya clicked her tongue and scooped up her baby cousin. " Hey Sakura, what's wrong?" she cooed. Sakura giggled at Saaya and tugged her dog-ears sticking up above her ponytail. Saaya sighed and set her down. Sakura then proceeded to run in circles around her, laughing her head off. Saaya looked up at Kagome. " Aunt Kagome?' she asked.

" Yes?"

" What's it like being a mom?"

Kagome was a little surprised. " Well, it's interesting. There's never a boring day in my life. Sakura always learns something new and exciting to show me. It's a process you sort of adapt to." She picked Sakura up and looked at her niece. She was intrigued by how much Saaya resembled her mother rather than where Miharu had resembled her father, and in more ways than one, which was how they found her. Like Sesshomaru, Miharu had been able to create a light whip and had used it in a battle against him when he was going to attack the village.

" Tell me about my sister." Saaya said suddenly.

" Your sister?" Kagome exclaimed. " How did you find out about her?"

" Dad accidentally let it slip for one thing and for another, I know that that's who is buried beside the cabin."

Kagome and InuYasha exchanged glances. " Well, Saaya. I wouldn't bring this up around your parents. It's a tender subject for them and Saeka still isn't quite over it."

" I won't." she promised. " Did my sister look more like dad or mom?"

" Your dad for sure." InuYasha muttered. " That's how we found her."

" What was her name?"

" Her name was Miharu." Kagome said. Saaya could see they were becoming uncomfortable with this subject, but she didn't care, she had to know.

" What sort of demon was she?" Saaya asked, growing more curious by the minute. Kagome sighed. " Saaya, she's dead. Sesshomaru couldn't restore her to life. Tenseiga refused. Just live on." She said sadly. Saaya looked at the ground. She stood up. " I'm sorry. It just gave me something other than Naraku to think of." She muttered. She left the hut.

" InuYasha." Kagome said.

" Yeah?"

" Believe it or not, but I regret Naraku's death." She said.

" You know something Kagome?" he grumbled. He looked up at her.

" So do I."

Saaya hung upside down from a tree on the outskirts of the village, almost exactly in the spot where Naraku's golem had saved her from the wolves. Mononoke hung around by her, sleeping or chuffing at the pollen in the air.

Saaya, can we go back now? I'm all stuffed up. He kept whining. He sneezed.

" Bless you. And no, we can't go back. I want to stay here, to try and feel if his spirit is nearby." She whispered.

Saaya, you're being silly. He's dead. He's not coming back, whether he's spirit or not. Get over it. 

" I won't get over it, Mononoke. I loved him and I still do love him and I always will love him. That's that."

Father will disapprove. Mononoke murmured. He sneezed again.

" I don't care. I don't care what father thinks. I'm old enough to do things on my own, now. In fact, since, you could be right…I…I may go to the continent. I want to find a purpose on my life, now the only thing that ever mattered to me is gone." She said so quietly he had to strain to hear her. She pulled her body back and swung off the branch, landing easily on the ground. She put her hands on her hips. " I'm plenty old enough to survive out there." She said confidently. " Tell father I'll send a letter from the continent."

She stalked off and disappeared into the trees. Mononoke sighed.

Five…four…three…two…one. He counted down. He heard a scream and a dull splat.

Saaya appeared again, covered in mud and sighed. " Okay, maybe I'll leave tomorrow." She grumbled, stomping off toward the village. Mononoke chuckled.

She's far too predictable. He said.

Sesshomaru had gone out. Kaede was nowhere to be found nearby, probably at Kikyo's shrine. Saaya and Mononoke were out in the forest and InuYasha, Kagome and Sakura were somewhere else. Saeka was all alone in Kaede's hut, brewing lavender for a special throat lozenge one of the villagers had requested. Now that her life had calmed down, Saeka was able to return to her practice and thankfully, found herself not the least bit rusty.

" Let's see." She said. She breathed in the sweet scent. " It needs more sugar water."

As she was adding it, she heard a knock at the door. Figuring it to be either a villager or one of the others, she got up and made her way over. She opened the door.

Saeka suddenly found herself pinned to the wall by a sharp knife poised at her throat. She gasped and looked into the face of her attacker.

" Nice to see you again, Kisho." She growled. He pushed the knife further, irritating her skin. She cringed away from it.

" I've finally tracked you down, half-breed." He hissed. " We've got some unfinished business to settle."

He seized her arm and threw her across the room. She landed in front of the hearth and glared up at him. " What are you talking about, Kisho? I never did anything to you because it was you who did everything to me. By the way, how are you even still so young? It's been over eighty years, shouldn't you be a bent old man?"

True, Kisho's hair was as blond and spiky as ever and his body was still as thin as a post, but stronger than he looked. He glowered at her. " There's a lot of things you'll never know." He said. He advanced with the knife held in front of him. " Strange," he said with a vengeful air. " This knife is drawing me toward you. It seems to believe you're a sheath."

Saeka growled and backed away. She shut her eyes and called to Sesshomaru mentally. She'd fight Kisho, but it was the eve of the new moon and her powers as a demon were starting to vanish. All she could do was spell the brews she'd been working on.

_Sesshomaru! Please! Come!_ She called in her mind, praying that he'd hear her. Kisho charged forward and threw her to the ground, his hands clasped around her neck and trying to force her head into the embers. Saeka pushed against him with all of her remaining demonic strength, her neck starting to cramp as it gave way. She could feel the searing heat of the embers against her skin and she knew that if Sesshomaru didn't come soon, she'd be done for. She knew he often wondered how he'd possibly survive without her with him. If he didn't come quickly, he was going to find out.

Just as her strength was giving out, she heard the door open and Sesshomaru call, " Saeka, what—Hey!" he yelled furiously. Kisho yelped and hurried to shove her head down. Saeka screamed as she felt the coals touch her head and singe away some hair. Kisho's hands were cutting off her air and she was growing dizzy. But as quickly as it started, it stopped when his hands were wrenched from around her neck and she felt herself being lifted out of the heat. She opened her eyes. " Sesshomaru." She murmured. He had carried her over to the opposite wall and set her down, using his sleeve to smother the tiny tongues of flame in her hair.

" Saeka, are you all right?" he inquired anxiously.

" I'm fine. He tried to kill me." She snapped in Kisho's direction. Sesshomaru turned on him, his eyes glowing red. Kisho shrieked and cowered in the corner, his arms covering his head.

Sesshomaru got to his feet and Saeka copied him. Both were glaring at him angrily. Sesshomaru approached and snatched the boy up by his neck, holding him aloft effortlessly.

" Who are you? Why were you trying to kill her?" he demanded. Kisho clawed at his hand in an attempt to escape. " She killed Midori! I want revenge for her!" he cried. Sesshomaru dropped him hard. " Do you know him?" he asked Saeka. She nodded. " He's Kisho, a boy from the valley who caused me much pain." She said quietly. Sesshomaru glared at Kisho and raised a clawed, glowing hand. " I'll just pay him back, then." He muttered. Kisho's eyes widened. " Wait! You're a true demon, right?"

" Yes."

" I can sense you're a very powerful demon. Do you realize that this girl is a half-breed?" he said with a sneer. Sesshomaru sighed. " Yes, I know what she is." He said.

" Why are you, a powerful true demon protecting a weak half-breed like her?" Kisho yelled.

" I'd appreciate it if you didn't speak of my companion like that." He hissed. Kisho's eyes widened.

" What? Saeka, you know him?" he yelled. She folded her arms.

" Not really. He's the father of my daughter." She said snippily. Kisho blinked. " D-Daughter? What? You mean someone actually loves _you_?"

He jumped up. " That's crazy! A true demon is your companion? You just got lucky!"

Saeka went to stand by Sesshomaru, who put his hand on her shoulder.

" Luck has nothing to do with it, Kisho." She said. He made a face.

" Just wait, Saeka. I'll get you." He hissed. He started to back away.

" Just a moment." Sesshomaru said. " I won't take the chance that you'll kill her, so we'll have to lock you up until further notice."

He ran forward and grasped the skin on Kisho's neck, applying pressure to the nerves on the back of his neck. Kisho made a gasping, choking noise and fell to the floor, unconscious. Saeka sighed. " Thank goodness you showed up when you did." She said.

" You aren't leaving my sight until he's taken care of." Sesshomaru said gravely. " I don't want to lose you."

Saeka looked up at him warmly. " You won't." she said.

A/N: I told you to remember Kisho. Now, this is the story that actually isn't done yet. I was working on Beneath The Endless Sky when I published The Healer way back then. And for those of you are reading this and the one preceding it, I highly suggest you go back and read from the beginning if you don't want to end up all confused by terms about Saaya's sister and things like that. It really bugs me and if you insist on continuing in the dark, don't dare ask me questions like, " Who was Miharu?" or something like that. It's your own fault by not starting from the beginning. Seiko-no-Neiko, I went through and edited as best I could. Think you can beat me?


	2. Decisions

Decisions

Naraku lay in the forest, trying to recover his strength. He was still unable to believe that he'd been brought back. He was very weak and vulnerable. He'd tried to produce some sort of demonic incarnation, even though he knew it was useless. He needed some form of protection while he thought of a way to find Saaya. He opened his eyes and sighed sadly. He missed her so much it was like a constant ache that wouldn't go away. He longed to tell her how he truly felt about her. But so long as he was this weakened, he'd never be able to locate her, much less deal with her father, who had forbidden him contact with her. _Feh,_ he thought. _Like that'll stop me. I love Saaya more than anything and I will see her again. _

He sighed. Whenever he closed his eyes, all he saw was her face and whenever he opened them, he imagined of seeing her once more. He hated to think of all the pain he'd caused her by dying. He now cringed at thoughts of absorbing her. There was no way he'd pull it off.

He opened his eyes again and stared around him. He was about a mile from the castle, which still stood because, one, he had nothing more to hide and two; he had no energy to move it. He was stuck here. He was also very hungry and thirsty. He'd been out for almost a day. Sesshomaru's dragon strike was powerful. It had stripped him of everything. He was now almost completely human. Almost.

He leaned back against the tree and shut his eyes tightly.

" Saaya, where are you?" he whispered into the wind, as though she would respond. But all he heard was the recall of her words the night he died in her arms.

He had to stay alive if he wanted to see her again, and the problem was that that was easier said than done. Much easier said than done. He had many enemies, human and demon alike. Most of them were of those he knew quite well. But a few, like the wolf demon, Koga and his companion, Ayame hated him. If he were to run into them in his weakened state, he hadn't a chance.

Forcing what remained of his strength from a hidden reservoir, he struggled to his feet, gripping the tree trunk for support. He kept the image of Saaya's worried face in his mind to drive him on, determined to make it back to her. If she still had faith in him, he would find her once more, regardless of what Sesshomaru said.

Stumbling through the undergrowth, he forced his way through trees and leaves, like a hungry wolf searching desperately for suitable fare, he pushed on.

When the sound of running water met his ears, he instinctively made his way toward it, following the sound blankly, as though he were in a trance. When it came into sight, he stared at it. It was a small stream, flooding over slightly from snowmelt atop the mountains. He dipped his hands into the water and brought some up to his mouth, sipping it slowly because of lack of anything for a long time now. He'd make himself sick if he drank it too fast, and the same applied for eating anything as well.

He continued this slow process, patiently drinking the water until he'd finally quenched his thirst. Now, all that remained was finding something to eat so he could keep his strength up, what remained of it anyway. He stood up shakily and fell back down again.

" I guess my legs are still too weak." He muttered. He sighed. It sure was different being completely alone like this, in the middle of a forest. He supposed he'd have to somehow scale a tree that night in order to sleep safely. He'd figure something out. In the meantime, he had to focus on staying alive if he ever hoped to see Saaya again.

He sighed and looked up at the treetops. He knew Saaya was still waiting for him, even though she knew he was 'dead'. He'd find a way. People who loved each other always did and always will.

He would find a way.

Kisho was kept bound to a tree outside the village, screaming and complaining consistently except at night when even he got tired. Sesshomaru would check on him three times a day and occasionally, Saeka would come along. Kisho was fond of making horrid comments about how old she looked, how ratty her hair looked, and worse, how having a kid seemed to have had an ill effect on her waistline. That one had really done it and she'd left Kisho with a huge lump on his head. It had taken all of Sesshomaru's will power not to laugh.

Sesshomaru refused to untie him at any other time except when he had to go, eat or drink something. And during those times, he stuck by Saeka until Kisho came within sight again. Just about every time, he tried to attack her, but Sesshomaru caught him every time without fail. Then it was right back to the tree.

It got even worse the first time Kisho saw Saaya.

" Hey, is that a spider's web, or flour?" he called. Saaya had gotten so mad she'd almost torched him. But Saeka had managed to stop her just in time. As they were leaving him, he called after them, " Demon girl, you look just as putrid as your half-breed mother!"

" Come on mom! Let me at him!" Saaya yelled, struggling against Saeka's grip as she held her daughter back.

" No, Saaya, your father will deal with him, just let it go!" Saeka grunted with the strain of holding Saaya back.

Eventually, Kisho threw in the towel and hung from the tree mumbling old drinking songs to himself that he must have learned on his travels.

Sesshomaru stood watching him from a good distance away. Kaede was standing beside him, staring at the boy gravely. " I think it's time ye let him down, Sesshomaru. He seems to have been broken."

" Lady Kaede, he nearly killed my companion. I'm not taking any chances, and I can't stay by Saeka every single waking moment. And even if I did, I'd have to include non-waking moments as well." He grumbled.

" Aye, I see thy point." Kaede said. " But still, he seems to have a grudge against her. Either way is bad because at some point, he is going to get loose."

" I know." Sesshomaru said quietly. He turned away with a sigh.

" Don't fret. Ye will figure something out." She called after him.

Sesshomaru barely heard the old woman. He was too busy thinking. He'd done a lot of stupid things in his life, more so when he was younger, but a few when he had gotten older. Such as gluing Kassenah into its sheath, allowing Saeka to be taken by her late brother Attar, restoring Naraku to life and endangering his own daughter and countless others. But allowing Kisho to threaten Saeka as often as he did was possibly going too far. This one probably topped the others all combined from the three hundred and eighteen years of his life. He shook his head and left to find Saaya and Saeka.

He found Saaya first. She was moping on the hill outside the village. He approached carefully, knowing her time spent with Naraku had probably made her less aware than she had been.

" Saaya." He said. She turned her head slightly, but didn't say anything. He realized she'd probably gotten that from him.

" Saaya, are you still upset over what happened?" he asked.

" No, gee, you think?" she snapped. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes.

" Saaya, you don't know what Naraku was really like. Many years ago, before even your sister was born, he was the sole target of all of us. He'd killed Sango's family, he'd given Miroku's family the wind tunnel, he'd attacked Kagome on a number of occasions, he killed the priestess protector of the sacred jewel, his incarnation broke the Tetsuaiga, and countless other things." He said. Saaya sighed. " What's done is done, dad, don't hold a grudge for something that happened a long time ago." She turned away. "Saaya, we did it to help you. You were his prisoner, he was going to absorb you when he got the chance!" Sesshomaru said, growing angrier. Saaya whirled around, her eyes blazing. " He was too weak to even fight back! He was too weak to absorb me! He didn't even try to run! According to Kagome, the Naraku you know would have done everything in his power to stay alive! Did he do anything like that? Did he?" she screamed.

" That's enough, Saaya!" Sesshomaru yelled. " You're only a child! You have no idea what this world is truly like! It isn't easy, and you'll learn that soon enough!" " I know what the world is like because I was taken into it!" Saaya retaliated. " You don't know me. I'm different than you and mom and everyone else!"

" Enough of this, Saaya. We'll discuss this later." Sesshomaru hissed. He turned and stalked back to the village. Saaya stared after him.

" Just wait, dad. I'll get you back for what you've done. Just wait."

A/N: My writing may be a little dark soon. Like I've said before, or I might have said it in a reply, I'm often influenced in speech and writing by characters in anime. In this case right now, I was influenced by Black Lady when I wrote this chapter. I don't know, I'm queer like that. Let me know how it is.


	3. Revelation

Revelation

Kisho sighed and rocked his head back and forth wearily. " Let me down!" he called hoarsely, knowing it was futile, that the demon who tied him up wasn't about to change his mind anytime soon.

That same demon appeared out of the shadows and stared at him. " Are you still complaining?" he asked quietly. His golden eyes were narrowed and dark. Kisho knew that this demon hated him as much as Saeka did.

" What have I done to make you so angry?" Kisho grumbled.

" I cannot forgive anyone who does to Saeka what you've done to her." The demon hissed angrily.

" What have I done? It's what she's done that I'm angry for." Kisho yelled. He glared at Sesshomaru. " Saeka killed Midori. She went full-demon after the soldiers attacked and killed all of them, including my cousin! I won't forgive her for that and I want to kill her! You can't stop me!"

Sesshomaru's eyes went red and he snarled furiously at the boy. Kisho yelped and cringed away. Sesshomaru stalked over and seized the boy's neck, digging his claws into the soft flesh. Kisho whimpered and tried to pull away.

" I can't stop you, can I?" Sesshomaru said low. " I beg to differ."

" Wait! Don't kill me!" Kisho squeaked.

" Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip your throat out." Sesshomaru said. Kisho gulped. " Uh, uh, well, I uh…"

" Sesshomaru?"

He turned as Saeka appeared in the darkness, gazing at him quizzically.

" What's going on?" she asked. " Did Kisho try to escape again?"

" No." Sesshomaru said. " I heard him whining again. He still wants to take your life."

Saeka's face went blank. " I see. Kisho, why are you doing this? You know it's useless."

" So what if you're the mate of a demon, it doesn't matter! I'll kill you one of these days." He yelled.

" Boy, before you kill her, you'll die by my hand." Sesshomaru growled. Kisho flinched, but said nothing. He glowered at Saeka. " You just got lucky." He grumbled. Saeka sighed wearily. " I've told you before. Luck has nothing to do with it. I love Sesshomaru and he loves me. That's all there is to it. He just happens to care about what happens to me after all that we've been through."

" Precisely. I'm not about to let a weak human child get the best of us." He said. Kisho's jaws dropped. " _Child_? I am anything but! I am a man, and I am stronger than both of you!"

" Then free yourself." Sesshomaru smirked. Kisho made a face and mimicked his mouth movements with crossed eyes. " Blah, blah, blah! Like I care what you have to say." He said snobbishly. Saeka sighed. " Let's go." She said to her companion. " I'm very tired."

" Fine." He said with a glance back at Kisho. They disappeared in the darkness. Kisho stared after them and sighed himself. " I always hated her." He mumbled. He soon drifted off to sleep.

Back in Kaede's hut, Kaede and the others were all sound asleep, as it was very late. Sesshomaru and Saeka were still up, discussing Kisho.

" Saeka, I highly suggest, for yours and Saaya's safety, that we kill him. It's my responsibility to protect you and our daughter. You said yourself, you don't want to lose Saaya like we lost Miharu."

" I know, Sesshomaru. But still, I told you what happened to my home valley. It was burned to the ground and I don't recall ever finding Kisho in the ruins. Somehow, someway, he survived whatever happened in my absence and has tracked me down for vengeance. But despite all that happened to me in the valley, I have a connection to the place. It's where I grew up after your father left me there." Saeka said quietly. " Kisho is living remains of the valley. I don't know how he stayed exactly as he was when I left, but still, we grew up together and we still have a connection."

" Saeka, think of what he can do. He nearly killed you yesterday. I got there just in time. Your strength was failing because of the new moon and if I'd have gotten there a few seconds later, you'd have been burned to death."

Saeka reached forward and took his hand. " But you didn't lose me. I wasn't going to leave you behind. That's why I fought. I love you and Saaya far too much to do that to you."

She smiled at him. Once more, he felt his heart melt as it always did during these times when they could just talk and not worry about what was happening to the others, or who was attacking what or anything of the sort. It was always like they were the only ones living.

Saeka shifted positions so that she was leaning against him. He put his arm around her shoulders and stared into the dying fire.

" Saeka." He said. She opened her eyes a little. " Hmm?"

" Thanks."

" For what?"

" For being with me."

Saeka smiled and snuggled closer, beginning to drift off.

" That'll never change." She murmured.

Naraku grumbled angrily. He'd tripped over a fallen log covered in slippery moss and fallen flat on his face. Fortunately for him, the ground was dry. He picked himself up and sighed irritably. " If Saaya is at the end of this broken road, it'll be worth it." He muttered, getting to his feet. He'd gotten stronger in the past couple of days, but he still hadn't eaten much of anything. He only knew what three different species of roots looked like and he knew for a fact that at least one of those species was edible. He'd managed to come across some and taken them with him, but they were running out. Besides that, they tasted horrible.

He wasn't sure of exactly where to go to. He knew that Saaya's village was further north. Each night, he scanned what little of the sky he could see through the forest canopy in search of the North Star. From there, he'd continue on, stopping occasionally to rest. On the one time he'd seen a wolf, he'd been able to hide from it in a marsh. But he knew his luck wasn't going to last as long now that he was so weak.

Naraku vaulted over a felled tree and sighed. Nothing but endless green forest as far as he could see. But as long as he kept going north, he'd eventually reach Saaya's village. Each day that passed brought him closer to finding her and slowly widened the tear in his heart. He was so close and yet so far and he kept hoping that she wanted to see him again, that her father hadn't somehow convinced her that he was evil and that by the time he reached where she was, that she'd drive him away. Or worse, tell Sesshomaru about it.

He shook his head to clear it and started forward. The ground ahead was moderately clear of bushes. He'd make good time this way.

He closed his eyes as he walked, rebuilding his senses and trying to find a little bit of power left within him. He still wanted the power he had had before, but like he had said, only to protect Saaya. He knew that once he had found Saaya once more, that there were those out there who would look down upon them for being together. He was sure that her parents had gone through the same thing. Especially since Saeka looked like a human, but was actually a half-demon, not really accepted in either society. Sesshomaru also resembled a human lord, and sometimes received comments from humans about being with a demon when Saeka happened to look like one. Naraku knew of all of this. His golems had followed them for years. He knew all about Saeka's extra appendages in her head, the long white tendrils that she could use as arms. Sometimes, they popped out on their own and she had to wear a hood to avoid stares. But there was nothing Sesshomaru could do about his odd features, such as the claws, the white hair and the pointed ears. Those couldn't be hidden.

Naraku silently thanked the gods that he didn't resemble a demon in the slightest. Now that all of his power was just about gone, (which wouldn't be so for long) he looked almost exactly like his past self, Onigumo. As much as he hated to, he'd have to adopt that name until he found Saaya. No one around here knew him as Onigumo anymore. They all knew him as Naraku.

" Just until I find you, Saaya." He whispered into the wind.

Saaya sat with Mononoke and sighed. " Mo, why can't dad just leave me alone?" she groaned. Mononoke chuffed. Because he cares. He said. And because he worries too much. 

" Don't I know it." Saaya muttered. She sighed again. " I sure miss Naraku."

I keep telling you— 

" I know, I know, he's in the netherworld. That isn't good enough. We can't talk to each other, we can't see each other, nothing!"

It's hopeless, Saaya. 

" You know?" Saaya said thoughtfully. " I wonder whatever happened to that wolf tribe we had a run in with last year, when we were pups."

Not a clue. I never saw any of them but that one white one I was with. Mononoke said. Saaya hummed.

" I wonder how they're doing."

Naraku sighed. He was getting nowhere very quickly. He'd been sure he was going forward, but when he passed the same giant oak he'd seen earlier that day, he realized he'd been going in a big circle.

He rolled his eyes and paused a moment to get his bearings.

" Okay, I started here, obviously. I suppose I just wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I'll just start over."

He kept going and this time, watched his surroundings carefully.

After awhile, he found himself on a different path and heaved a sigh of relief. " Finally." He mumbled. He continued on.

Saeka approached the tree Kisho was tied at and stared at him. " Kisho, against both mine and Sesshomaru's better judgment, we're going to untie you—"

" All right!" Kisho yelled.

" –This evening." Saeka finished. " Sesshomaru doesn't trust you around me and probably won't for a long time, if at all. He says he'll be the one to cut the ropes and keep you from doing anything rash."

" Scaredy cat." Kisho smirked. Saeka sighed and rolled her eyes. " I don't really care what you call me, Kisho. What matters is that you leave my family and I alone. Sesshomaru knows all that you've done to me in the past and he's furious because of it. You're quite lucky to get out of this alive."

" What I want to know is, how come you, a weak half-breed, are the companion of a powerful demon like him."

" That's not for you to know." She started to walk away. She stopped and turned around. " Oh, before he lets you go tonight, Sesshomaru will probably ask you what you are. I've told him that you look exactly as you did when I left. He's curious, so be prepared to answer his questions."

Kisho watched her leave with a strange expression on his face. " Man, I hate her." He grumbled.

That night, Sesshomaru, InuYasha and Saeka approached the tree and Sesshomaru sighed. " Saeka, why you insist on setting him free is beyond me. He nearly killed you."

" Sesshomaru, I'm stronger than I was when I was littler and I have my demonic capabilities once more. If he wants another chance to kill me effectively, he'll have to wait a full month." Saeka said. Sesshomaru shook his head and moved forward, his claws extending out to cut the ropes holding Kisho. Kisho glared at the demon. " Idiot. She's a worthless half-breed!" Kisho yelled.

" Tell me, human, do you like your face the way it is?" Sesshomaru asked, his patience waning. Kisho froze and shut his mouth. Sesshomaru slashed the ropes in half and Kisho slid to the ground. He jumped up and backed away slowly.

As he was nearing the trees, Saaya suddenly appeared with Mononoke and Kisho whirled around. Before Saaya could react, Kisho suddenly grabbed her and pulled her in front of him as a shield. Sesshomaru started forward, his expression grave. " That was a stupid move." He growled. Kisho whipped his hand behind his back and pulled his knife around to Saaya's neck. " One more move!" he warned. Sesshomaru stopped. Saeka grimaced. " Kisho, we just let you go. Do you really think there's any reason for this?" she demanded. Kisho pretended to think.

" Uh, no! I told you; I was going to get you back. Now if I can't kill you outright, I'll simply do the next best thing!" he said. Saaya made a face, lashed her hand behind her, grasped his neck and flung him down onto the ground. " Moron! You really think I'm so helpless as to let you, a human boy get the best of me?" she yelled in his face.

" Would everyone stop calling me human!?" Kisho cried angrily. Saeka's eyes widened. She turned to her companion. " Sesshomaru, I was afraid of this. We have to secure him, fast!"

" I'm glad you changed your mind." He said. He charged forward and rammed Kisho into a tree as he was getting to his feet.

" Saaya, get the ropes." Sesshomaru ordered.

" Right." She replied. She ran to the tree and scooped them up. Kisho was struggling furiously in Sesshomaru's grip and actually tried to bite his hand. But before he could try anything, Saaya handed the rope to her father and Sesshomaru promptly strung him to the tree once more. He stepped back and turned to Saeka.

" What is he anyway?" he asked. Saeka sighed.

" I had a sneaking suspicion. He's gone and done what Naraku did back when he was known as Onigumo." She said.

" What's that?" Saaya asked.

" He let himself be devoured by demons. Kisho is a demon now."

A/N: I know I already updated this chapter, but I had to fix something. Oh well, you all know the drill. But what really bugs me is people reading this story without reading the others first and then asking questions about it. I got a private message from someone asking me how Sesshomaru met Saeka and what Malsshinyor was. Now, to all of you who have been faithfully following this story since chapter one of The Healer, you all know what that means. I won't answer any questions of those who haven't read first the other books that came before this one. There's a reason it's book NINE.


	4. Naraku's Near Miss

Naraku's Near Miss

Naraku was becoming weak again. He hadn't eaten or drank anything in over two days, which didn't help considering his recent unconsciousness after the dragon strike. He had been traveling northward for the past three days and covered about a mile. He probably would have gotten much further if the ground weren't so uneven, but that wasn't anything he could help.

He sighed and sat down to rest. He was in a small clearing where several fallen trees had made something resembling a beaver dam out of water. Beneath the trees was a tiny hollow. He eyed it and looked up at the fragment of sky. It was getting late. If he could get inside the hollow, it would be safe to sleep and he wouldn't have to go looking for a tree to climb. He knelt down and inspected the opening. It was much larger inside than out, but the opening was far too small. Determined, he started digging at the ground, widening the hole. Gradually, as the sun began to set, he'd made it large enough for him to fit through.

Finally, he was able to drag himself in and huddle against the wall, trying to go to sleep in safety for once, without the danger of wolves or falling out of the tree. He closed his eyes.

His eyes snapped open when dirt began to crumble around him and he jolted awake, afraid the thing was caving in on him. He calmed a little when he realized someone was just outside. But when he heard wolfish snarls and snuffing, he knew that he was in grave danger.

" Oh no." he murmured. He backed up against the dirt wall and watched the opening warily. He could see the silhouette of the wolves as they padded about, sniffing the area. He heard something else approach rapidly.

" Find anything?" a voice called. Naraku's eyes narrowed. It was Koga, the wolf leader. This was both a sign of trouble and that Naraku was close to Saaya's village. He remembered she'd told him how Koga's wolves had attacked her village when his demons had kidnapped her.

One of the wolves barked and whined. Koga sighed. " So you picked up something's trail and then it vanished around this badger hole? Nice job, it could have been a good meal for once." Koga grumbled. Naraku grinned to himself when he realized that he'd possibly fooled them. Something else reached the spot outside and he heard Koga turn around. " Ayame, we lost the trail." He said.

" Damn. Koga, the wolves are starving. We've been traveling southward for two weeks. What if Naraku's already gone by now?" she complained. He was shocked and a little pestered. They were on their way to see him, so to speak.

" He'll be there. I hear he has a hostage. I also heard the hostage matches the description of that little mutt girl we met, that whelp of Sesshomaru's?"

" Oh, Saaya. I remember her. She was so cute." Ayame said fondly. Naraku smiled. They must have met Saaya when she was still little.

" Focus on the task, Ayame. We're going to get that whelp and kill Naraku. Then we'll ransom her to her family for the whole village. If we do it just right, even Sesshomaru won't be able to do anything."

Naraku inhaled sharply. _No,_ he thought. _They'll find that neither I, nor Saaya is at the castle and come looking for us. If they find me, they'll kill me and then go after Saaya. But if they find Saaya, they'll just take her. I can't let that happen. I have to protect Saaya._

He listened as Koga gave new orders and he and his wolves and Ayame hurried away. Naraku, knowing how little time he had, quickly scrambled out of the hollow and into the broad forest. He looked around cautiously. He could see nothing of the wolves. Turning north, he ran forward, not caring whether he was tired or not. His main focus now was just getting to Saaya before Koga and his wolves discovered that he was gone. Koga, Ayame and their wolves could run much faster than he'd been able to these past few days. They'd reach the castle in no time. He judged that he only had maybe a day and a half at least to make it to Saaya's village and warn her. Perhaps, even if he himself couldn't go with them, that at least she would be saved. She would be able to continue her life. That was all that mattered.

Saaya sat with her mother inside Kaede's hut. Saeka was busy brushing her daughter's hair. Saaya had been tense and irritable lately and Saeka believed that Naraku's death and Kisho's appearance were putting a strain on Saaya's nerves. Saeka's remedy was a gentle brush in her hair. She said that the hypnotic rhythm would sooth the tension away.

" I know you're mad at him, Saaya, but you have to remember, Naraku did a lot of bad things to all of us." Saeka said. Saaya sighed.

" I know mom. I sort of had a feeling he might not have been telling me everything. But mom, he was just so kind to me. He actually cared, it seemed. I was really sad once because I missed all of you and he seemed to care. I loved him, that's all." Saaya murmured.

" I know how you feel. Personally, I don't think Sesshomaru used the best judgment when he did what he did. He didn't really consider much else but a past grudge he and InuYasha had against him."

" It's just because he's a demon. Well so what? I'm one-third demon." Saaya complained.

" I know. I'm a half-demon and your father is a true demon. Yet I love him just the same, like I love you. We had a lot of prejudice to go through when we disappeared. Humans and demons alike hated us."

" Really?"

" Yep. It got really bad around the time I realized I was going to have a baby, your sister. At one point, your father had a traveling companion named Jaken. He was a little imp and he was never too fond of me. When I told your father the news, Jaken fainted on the spot."

Saaya started laughing. " Isn't it usually the father who faints?" she giggled. Saeka smiled. " I had thought so, too. Several of them did when I acted as an herbalist for midwives on the continent. But yours wouldn't for sure. However, when Jaken woke up, he started to laugh first, and then, once he'd calmed down, he tried to drive me off, shouting that I wasn't fit to stay with them. I refused to leave, obviously, and for equally obvious reasons, but that imp was persistent. Finally, Sesshomaru couldn't stand it anymore and he 'convinced' Jaken to shut up, which he did."

Saaya shook her head slightly. " How did you survive?"

" Oh, we kept moving, and half-way through, Rin was taken by some people who had warned your father and I not to stay together. I suppose that the upcoming addition was going too far and they decided to 'punish' us. After that, I don't recall much except I was always tired and had to accept rides from Ah-Un most of the time. He was a dragon your father had traveling with them at the time. I miss him. He and I had some great conversations when Sesshomaru was away and only Jaken was there. It was because of Ah-Un's and my friendship that Sesshomaru didn't return to find me driven away by Jaken. Ah-Un never let Jaken get far enough to force me to leave."

" So what did you do?" Saaya asked.

" A few weeks before I was due, we started wondering how I was going to pull this off. We stumbled on this little abbey and the sisters there agreed to care for me, provided Sesshomaru stayed away." Saeka explained.

" Why?" Saaya inquired. " Why did dad have to stay away?"

" For two reasons. One, he was a demon and two, men were forbidden to be anywhere nearby during times like these. He wandered around the general radius and waited. The old wise woman, Yoko told him that she'd send one of the sisters for him afterwards."

" And then what?" Saaya asked. Saeka sighed sadly.

" Well, your sister was born and because it was a little difficult, I was extremely tired. I asked them to prolong retrieving Sesshomaru so that I could rest. I fell asleep, but Yoko awakened me some time later, she handed me the baby. But as soon as I laid eyes on it, I knew that it wasn't ours. It was something horribly different. I remember screaming and dropping it, and yelling at Yoko not to get Sesshomaru as she had said she was going to. She ran to get him anyway and he destroyed the fake. After that, everything's a blur. All I remember is falling ill from grief."

" Oh. I'm sorry." Saaya muttered. Saeka worked a tangle out of her hair and smiled. " Don't be." She said. " All of that grief went away the night I had you. Unlike your sister, I actually got to see you when you were born. That was one of the proudest moments of my life."

Suddenly, she started laughing. Saaya turned a little. " What's so funny, mom?" she asked. Saeka chuckled. " I remember, when your father held you for the first time, I'd never seen him look more terrified than he did right then. It seemed like he thought you were going to break or something. He wasn't too keen on that."

Saaya smiled. " That's funny. I wonder if I'll ever have children one day."

" I'm sure you will." Saeka said. " It's an interesting experience. There's never a dull moment in my life with you and Mononoke. My only regret is that you never got to meet your sister, Miharu. You would have loved her."

" Uncle InuYasha says I look just like you, while Miharu looked just like dad." Saaya said.

" Sort of. She certainly had his hair and eyes. And the light whip, of course, she had that. That's how we found out it was her."

Saaya stared off into space. Her mother made it seem nice to have a family. She wondered if she'd ever get the chance.

" Mom?" she said. " Is dad mad at me?"

" Why would he—oh, Naraku." Saeka mumbled. She sighed. " Saaya, I think he's a little disappointed. For eight years, he and his brother believed Naraku to be dead. How were they to know he'd somehow survived? I suppose he was a little shocked that you had feelings for him, but I don't think he's mad at you."

Saaya hummed. " I hope not. Because…."

" Because what?" Saeka asked. Saaya sighed.

" Because I still love Naraku."

Saeka looked away.

Sesshomaru stood outside, staring out at the horizon. He couldn't believe how soft he'd become. He'd actually resurrected his enemy, just because he felt terrible by how Saaya had reacted. And what with the appearance of Kisho and his attempt to murder Saeka, was really pulling on his patience. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. He sighed and started back down the hill.

As he approached the village, he saw some tiny movement in front of him and blinked in surprise when Sakura suddenly jumped out of the bushes, covered in dirt. She sneezed and looked up at him. " Sesshy! Hi!" she squeaked. Her speech was improving, but her sentences were still mild and she still couldn't pronounce his name correctly.

" Hello, Sakura." He said. He kept going. Sakura leapt up and hurried after him. " Why you out?" she asked.

" I needed fresh air." He said. Sakura hummed and started a goofy, stiff-legged walk. When she fell over and jumped back up, laughing, Sesshomaru was reminded briefly of Rin and he wondered how she was doing and if she and Botan had found Kohaku.

" Sesshy?"

Sesshomaru looked down. " Yes?"

" What'cha tinkin' bout?"

_What I'm thinking about?_ " I'm thinking about, just, things." He said, finally, not wanting to accidentally drag his niece into the complex labyrinth that was his and Saeka's lives. She was quite young yet and didn't have to become involved in adult matters.

" Sakura, what are you doing out so late?" he asked.

" I'se hungry." She replied. His eyes went wide. It was now that he noticed that her mouth was covered in something black. He knelt down and put his hand on her tiny shoulder to keep her still. " Sakura, what have you been eating?"

" Yummy." She said.

" No, I didn't ask how whatever it is tastes, I want to know what it was."

" I show! I show!" she said, skipping out of his grip and running back the way they'd come. Sesshomaru followed her quickly, hoping he didn't have to use his Tenseiga should she have eaten poisonous berries. If she'd eaten Nightshade Berries, she'd be in serious trouble. He had seen a large bramble of them in the bracken, and he knew them to be extremely poisonous. Mainly because, when he was about a year old, he'd eaten one himself. It was only thanks to the Tenseiga that he got out of that alive. His father had been furious.

" There! There! Yummy!" Sakura cried, pointing at a bush covered in black specks. He bent down and picked one. He crushed it on the ground, touched the juice with his claw and carefully tasted it, only enough to decipher the flavor. He sighed in relief. " Good. They're just blackberries." He said. He looked at his niece. " You gave me quite a scare." He said.

" Hmm? Hmm?" Sakura hummed hopefully, pointing at the bush. He sighed. " You may have three more. But that's it." He said. He picked them for her because she couldn't count yet and gave them to her. She crammed all three into her mouth and chewed them. She swallowed and laughed.

" Come on, you. Time to go home." He said. He scooped her up and carried her home.

He reached Kaede's hut and opened the door. When Kagome saw him carrying Sakura, she screamed and ran over, hugging both her daughter and him.

" Oh thank you! Thank you, thank you!" she cried. " Sakura just vanished and I've been so worried! Thank you, Sesshomaru!"

She picked Sakura up and held her close. InuYasha hurried over and sighed. " That's a relief. Where'd you find her? And what's that stuff all over her mouth?"

" I found her outside eating blackberries." He said. " I checked the bush she was at, that's all they are."

" Thank goodness." Kagome said. " Sakura, that was very bad. You're lucky your uncle found you." She scolded.

" I'se sorry, mommy." Sakura said. Kagome turned to Sesshomaru.

" Thanks again for finding her. I was beginning to think she'd been taken."

" No problem." He said. He looked around for Saeka and Saaya. He didn't see them. Kagome noticed this. " I haven't seen them either if that's what you're wondering. I've been too busy worrying about Sakura."

" Odd." Sesshomaru said. " Maybe she's talking to Kisho."

He turned and left the hut.

He made his way to the tree where he'd tied Kisho. It was very likely she was interrogating him.

He was surprised when he saw that she was indeed there, but she wasn't interrogating him. Rather, she looked downtrodden. Kisho just looked blank. He glanced up as Sesshomaru approached. " Hold it! Before you do and or say anything, I did absolutely nothing this time! She arrived like this!"

" He's telling the truth, Sesshomaru." Saeka said pitifully. Sesshomaru knelt beside her. " What's happened?"

" Saaya's missing! I can't find her anywhere!" Saeka cried.

" What?" Sesshomaru exclaimed. He whirled to Kisho. " Did you see her?" he demanded.

" Hey, don't blame me. I saw her run that way awhile back, but that's it." Kisho said, tilting his head south, behind him. Sesshomaru cursed and turned to Saeka. " Settle down, I'll go look for her."

" No." Saeka said. He was stunned. " What?"

" No, Sesshomaru, stay here. Don't go look for her. She's upset. That's why she ran off." Saeka muttered. " She still loves Naraku. She's upset and sad and doesn't want to be bothered."

Sesshomaru grimaced. He knew what Saeka didn't. He knew that Naraku would disobey him and come looking for Saaya. Now that Saaya had run off, he'd probably find her. If she found out he was alive—

No, he thought. I can't let that happen. Naraku will just kill her.

" Saeka, I'm going." He said. He made to stand up, but Saeka grabbed his arm and forced him back down. " Stay." She said. " Leave her be. Saaya needs to be alone."

Kisho grumbled something to himself. " How about untying me?"

They both looked at him.

" No." they said in unison.

Saaya sat on the branches of a large oak, crying to herself. She missed Naraku so badly she couldn't stand it. She enjoyed the company of the forest, and listened to its sounds and displays of language from the plants and animals. She listened carefully, hoping to hear his voice again. All she wanted was to hear his voice say her name once more. But she knew that that could never happen. He was dead and that was the end of it. She sighed and muttered, " I loved him. Why did dad kill him?"

She could hear her parents interrogating Kisho. She'd run by him intentionally, to make her parents angry with him and not her.

" They should leave me alone." She murmured.

Naraku, completely exhausted, collapsed onto the ground beside a huge oak, cradled in the roots protruding from the ground. He groaned. He'd been running northward for hours. He was sure Koga and Ayame had reached the castle by now and were probably discovering he was long gone. They'd then try to trace his scent and realize that his was the one the wolves had lost. This, they would then follow straight to him and he'd become the next, less than willing meal of the wolves.

He grunted in pain as his weakened body started to ache from sudden use. He should have slowed down a bit a half-mile back. But his desire to see Saaya was greater than his body's calls to take it easy so as not to kill himself from over exertion.

" I…I think I'll just…rest…a bit." He mumbled. He drifted into an exhausted sleep.

Naraku jolted awake to someone putting something cold onto his forehead. His eyes snapped open and he tried to sit up.

" Sit back, please." Someone said. He looked around. His vision was all bleary. He blinked a few times in the sunlight. _Sunlight?_

He bolted up. " Saaya! No!" he yelled. Someone shoved him back against the tree. He shook his head. " Who are you?"

" Just be quiet. Ye are suffering from exhaustion. Onigumo."

A/N: I had a blast writing this little part here. Hehe, I'm both hyper and sad because once again, I watched the last episode of .Hack. WAAAH! It was so good! I still love InuYasha more. You know what's funny, I used to be a Yu-Gi-Oh fan. Can anyone tell me why he named it Yu-Gi-OH? I've wondered that for SO long and for the longest time, my favorite character was Ishizu. I totally love that name! Oh well. Here's the next chapter!


	5. Kaede Knows

Kaede Knows

" Onigumo? Now that brings back memories." Naraku said. He looked over at the old woman sitting beside him. She looked vaguely familiar.

" Who are you?" he asked.

" I'm sure that ye remember me. I am Kaede, the younger sister of Kikyo."

" I thought I knew you." He said. " What are you doing here?"

" I might ask ye the same question, Onigumo." Kaede said. He rolled his eyes. " I'm not really Onigumo anymore." He said.

" Oh, I know who ye really are. But I think it best to go by Onigumo for now. Especially now, in fact." She said. She took the wet cloth off of his head and put it into a bowl of water beside her. She wrung the water out of it and put it back on his forehead.

" Why are you helping me? I killed your sister." He said.

" I know. But I'm over it. Kikyo can finally rest in peace and InuYasha has come to accept my sister's death. Besides, I know why thee has returned."

" Why?"

" Saaya. Sesshomaru's daughter, I believe. Weren't thee fond of the girl?"

Naraku looked away. " Yes, but there's another reason I came." He said. Kaede looked up. " And what might that be, Onigumo?"

" Would you stop calling me that? On my way here, I heard the wolf demon tribe heading toward my castle. They're sure to discover that neither I, nor Saaya are there and then they'll head directly to the village. I've been running nonstop to get here first and warn Saaya. But I never figured out how I'd actually get to her."

Kaede stared at him. " I see. That is a problem. But there isn't much I can do, except to help thee recover and keep thy secret. I've placed a protective barrier around this place, but only for three days. Once those three days are up, ye are on thy own. By then ye should be fine, though, so I wouldn't worry about it."

Naraku sighed. " I feel I should apologize for all I've done to you and your sister, Kaede." He said. " I remember I spoke rather rudely to you when you came to visit me in the cave."

Kaede smiled. " Apology accepted, Onigumo."

Naraku looked up. " Kaede, is Saaya doing all right? Is she taking it well?" he asked quietly.

" She is quite upset. Sesshomaru hasn't told anyone that he has resurrected thee. I don't think even Saeka knows, and he tells her just about everything. If he told anyone, it might have been his two month-old niece Sakura. She would forget it within minutes."

" I see. I miss Saaya, but I can't go to the village." Naraku said. " I'm no longer strong enough to stand a chance against Sesshomaru. He wouldn't even have to use his sword. Those claws of his would be enough."

Kaede stared at him a moment and shook her head. " I know ye mean well, now. But neither Sesshomaru, InuYasha, or any one of them will ever trust thee and thy know it." Kaede said gravely. Naraku closed his eyes.

" I know." He whispered.

InuYasha was walking with Kagome and Sakura when they came upon the tree Kisho was tied to. Kisho glared at them and tried to kick out at them as they passed. InuYasha sighed irritably. " Let's go. I'd like to speak to Sesshomaru about him." He grumbled.

" Yeah, that's right! Keep walking, half-breed!" Kisho called after them. InuYasha rolled his eyes.

" Like that creep could really do anything." He said.

" You know how some people are, InuYasha." Said Kagome. " They like to think they control every situation when in reality, every situation controls them."

" You know what's funny?" he said.

" What?"

" That actually made sense."

" Lady Kaede?" Saaya called, looking into the hut. Kaede was nowhere to be seen. Saaya fiddled with her ponytail and sighed. " I wonder where she went. I wanted to offer to do the laundry today. Maybe I'll go find Mo."

She wandered off toward the forest.

Saeka was in the fields, gleaning with some of the other, somewhat younger village girls and answering questions they had.

" So, you can tell what a baby wants by how it cries?" one of them asked her. This was a very young one who wanted children, but couldn't have any of her own. So she took care of the other young ones for the mothers occasionally. Saeka scooped up a handful of wheat. " Yes. After awhile, you begin to distinguish what each cry means and are much more easily able to decipher what it wants." She said. The girls all glanced at each other and looked back at Saeka. They all admired her because of all she'd accomplished. They didn't really seem to care that she was a demon, even if a half-demon, but she had been through a lot and still came out in one piece.

" Why did your daughter grow so fast? It seems like they take forever to get bigger." One of the older ones pointed out. She'd just had her own baby and it had been slightly premature. She was always lost when it came to caring for her new son. Saeka sighed. " Well Machi, the thing is, Saaya is a demon, like Sesshomaru and myself. On top of that, she's more of a dog demon, like him. Since dogs in general seem to grow quite quickly, I suppose that Saaya does as well."

" Ooh." They all said in unison. A very young girl came up to Saaya. " Is it strange being with a demon?" she asked. " Mommy says to stay away from demons, but she goes near you and Sesshy. Why is that?"

" I suppose your mother trusts us." Saeka said kindly. Saeka always thought it to be the cutest how all the little kids called Sesshomaru 'Sesshy'. Of course, they'd drop that in time, but the tradition would continue as those little ones would grow up and start families of their own. Then their little ones would probably call him Sesshy as well. His name was just too hard for them to remember.

Saeka straightened up with her small basket of gleaned wheat. " I best be going now and check on my herbal remedies. See you later." She called.

" Bye Saeka!" They all responded.

Saeka made her way back into the village.

A few of the villagers exchanged greetings as she passed on her way to Kaede's hut. She opened the door and stepped in.

" Well, another day is going by. It's strange." She murmured. " I'm so used to all of the adventure we used to have and now that it's gone, I miss it."

She sat down by the hearth and put some of the wheat on to boil for meal.

The door opened and she looked up. Sesshomaru had returned and looked a little tired. Saeka smiled. " Hey. Where have you been?"

" Uh, I was out flying over the village." He said. He didn't want to tell her he'd been making sure Naraku hadn't decided to return. He hadn't seen anything, but he still didn't want to let her know of his actions.

Saeka seemed to buy it and turned to whatever she was boiling. He covered his nose in disgust. " Ugh, Saeka, what is that? It smells terrible." He said.

" Sorry. Someone wanted some wheat meal and I agreed to boil it for them. I'll admit, it does smell bad, but it's very good for you. Care to try it?"

" I'll pass. Thanks." He said, moving to the window. He opened it slightly and sighed. Saeka noticed this. " You seem a little down. What's the matter?"

" Nothing, Saeka. It's…it's nothing." He replied. How could he tell her Naraku was still alive and not worry her?

Saeka set the spoon down and straightened. " Sesshomaru." She said. He turned slightly.

" Yes?"

" You know you can tell me anything." Saeka said quietly. He stared at her a moment and turned back. " I know. I'll remember that." He said. Saeka sighed and returned her gaze to her boiling wheat. " I often worry about you." She mumbled. Sesshomaru's eyes widened, but he said nothing.

Saaya sighed. She had decided to let Mononoke wander around and hunt while she walked through the forest.

As she made her way through, she stopped. She ducked behind a tree as footsteps approached. As she unsheathed her claws in anticipation, she watched patiently. She sighed when she saw it was only Kaede, carrying a small bundle.

" Lady Kaede." She called, running over. Kaede paused, looking very surprised. " Uh, Saaya. What…what are ye doing out here?" she asked.

" I was walking. What are _you_ doing out here?"

" I, uh, I was gathering herbs for thy mother." Kaede said. Saaya thought she sounded a little flabbergasted.

" Kaede, are you okay?" she asked. Kaede nodded. She glanced behind her and made a face, as though deciding something. She smiled. " Saaya, are ye perhaps still going to continue thy walk?" she asked.

" Yes. I need time to think." Saaya said. Kaede handed her the bundle.

" Take this with ye for something to eat when ye get hungry." She said. Saaya blinked. " Um, all right. Thank you." She said. Kaede nodded and continued on toward the village. Saaya watched her go and started forward, into the forest.

" She's really nice. I wonder why she seemed so nervous?" Saaya murmured.

Kaede smiled to herself. " Saaya, ye are in for quite a pleasant surprise." She cackled happily.


	6. Fragile Wall of Trust

Fragile Wall of Trust

Saaya hummed a tune as she trekked through the forest, the bundle held loosely in her arm and her ponytail bobbing in the breeze. She smiled at the beauty of the natural wilderness, the soothing sounds of Mother Nature's wondrous creatures communicating in a language understood by few humans and demons. Saaya, growing up with one of those creatures, understood perfectly. She laughed and stared up at the sky.

" Good afternoon!" she called. " I am Saaya. I am your daughter, Mother Nature! I am sister to your son, Mononoke, the white wolf. Can you hear me?"

She closed her eyes and listened. What humans could never hope to hear, she did. The gentle, soft, barely audible voice of the earth talking to her. She sighed. " You're wonderful." She breathed. She started forward again.

As she was beginning to turn to the right to a different path, something stopped her. She didn't know why, but something was beckoning her to go the other way, down the left, and never traveled path. Curious, she obeyed the calling and headed in that direction.

She pushed through the undergrowth, choking on hanging vines and stray spider webs and tripping on roots and logs.

Just as she was beginning to think that she was getting lost in there, she broke through the wall and fell to the ground in a heap of vines and dirt. Coughing, she sat up and shifted the pack in her arm. " Ugh, that was no picnic." She griped. She stood up and dusted herself off.

" Now, I wonder where I—"

She paused when she looked up. She was in a small clearing with a giant oak in the center, roots protruding from the ground at enormous levels. Each root was the same width as her body. She carefully approached. As she got nearer, she could see something cradled within the roots. Something dark colored. A human? Her first thought was that it was a traveler, as it was shaped like a human. She frowned and stepped closer.

Suddenly, the creature's head turned and looked at her. Saaya gasped and fell back, alarmed. The creature was covered in dust and dark colored, but she could see the eyes beneath. They were thin and the pupils red-colored.

" That's weird." Saaya whispered. The thing inhaled deeply. It rasped something out in a voice cracked with thirst and weak from disuse. Saaya raised herself up a bit to see better. " What are you?" she called.

The creature's eyes opened wide. " _Saaya_." It wheezed. Saaya stood up and crept closer. She peered down at the human-creature.

All of a sudden, the human-creature smiled and tried to raise itself up.

" What are you?" Saaya asked again. There was something familiar about it. " And how do you know my name?"

The human-creature raised a hand toward her and whispered feebly, " _Na…Naraku._"

Saaya gasped sharply and stumbled back in shock. " W-What? W-what did you j-just s-s-say?" she stammered. The thing grunted in pain and blinked slowly.

" _Saaya…it's…me…Na…raku._"

Saaya's eyes went dull and she sank to the ground. " No. No." she muttered, staring at the thing. " You—you can't be! You're, you're a ghost, come to torture my mind with thoughts of one I loved!" she cried bitterly.

" _Saaya._" It said again. It held out its hand. " _Solid._"

Whatever it was wanted her to touch his hand. Saaya glared at it. " How do I know you won't suck away my life force the minute my skin touches you?" she demanded. The human-creature's eyes shone. " _Trust…me._"

Saaya appeared skeptical, though she wanted to believe. Slowly, she reached her hand toward it, shaking badly and expecting the absolute worst.

To her shock, she felt solid flesh beneath the dust and dirt. The thing's hand clasped hers and held it. Saaya leaned forward, her heart pounding. " Can it really be?" she whispered. She shuffled closer, until she was beside it. Using her free hand, she carefully touched his face, lightly, and then gently brushing the dust away.

" Is it…is it really you?" she breathed. He nodded weakly. Saaya felt her heart split in two as he took her other hand. " _It's…me._"

With a cry, she threw her arms around him, sobbing bitterly. " You're alive! You're alive!" she kept repeating.

" _Saaya…I've missed…you._" He rasped. Saaya just kept repeating her words and clung to him as though he'd disappear into thin air if she let go.

" How? How did you survive?" Saaya murmured when she'd calmed down a bit. He smiled at her. " I didn't." he said, now that his voice was returning to normal. " Your father restored me to life with the Tenseiga."

" My father?" she exclaimed. " No, he was too proud. He restored you?"

Naraku nodded. " Yes. I don't know why. Before he left, he warned me not to come looking for you."

Saaya smiled. " Thanks for not listening." She whispered. " I missed you."

He sighed and leaned against the bark. " Saaya, I'm so sorry." He murmured. Saaya reached out and brushed his hair from his face. " You get some rest. I'll stay here." She said. He nodded slightly. Soon, he was asleep.

" Sleep well." Saaya said quietly, making herself more comfortable. She was going to stay right beside him.

Saaya was reluctant to leave later on, when it had gotten dark and she could hear her father's voice calling her. She figured she wasn't as far from the village as she'd first thought.

" I don't want to leave you here." She said to him. " What if I come back and you're…?"

She broke off in mid-sentence. Naraku looked at her encouragingly. " I'll be okay, Saaya. Lady Kaede has placed a protective barrier around me. She knows I'm alive." He said. Saaya still appeared doubtful. " I don't want to lose you now that I've found you again." She said.

" Saaya, I'd never do such a thing. I'm no longer like I used to be and the reason for that is you. I changed everything for you."

" But my parents and family will never trust you. Not after all you've done." She muttered. He sighed. " I know. I wish I could somehow go back and stop myself from committing such heinous acts. Then maybe we could work it out somehow. But I can't." He said with a shake of his head.

" Time cannot be altered, but it can be met." Saaya said quietly. " You can rise to meet your past and challenge it, to try to banish the memory of it."

Naraku smiled. " That was very profound. You've gotten wiser since I died." He said lightly. He slowly sat up. " You'd better get back to the village before it gets too dark. I'll be okay; the barrier will protect me. But you have no other protection."

" All right." She said. She leaned forward and hugged him, grateful that he was alive, and reluctant to leave him once more. She slowly pulled away and got to her feet. " I'll return at first light." She said. He nodded and lay back against the tree wearily. " I'll wait for you." He replied. She hurried off into the forest and vanished in the cover of the trees. Naraku watched her go for as long as he could see her and then closed his eyes.

" Thank you, Sesshomaru. Thank you for giving me another chance." He whispered to no one in particular.

" Saaya, where have you been? We've been searching for you for hours!" Sesshomaru demanded when Saaya returned.

" Sorry. I sort of got lost." Saaya said sheepishly. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes. " Saaya, you know those forests better than you know your own powers. How could you possibly get lost in there?"

" Dad, there are paths that even I haven't gone through. I decided to take one for once and got disoriented."

Sesshomaru sighed irritably. " Come on. Your mother's worried." He said. He led her back to Kaede's hut.

Inside, Saeka was sitting cross-legged by the hearth, staring moodily into it. She glanced up as they entered and breathed a sigh of relief. " Saaya, why did you worry us like this? I thought you might be dead." Saeka scolded.

" Sorry mom. I took a different path and sort of, got lost." She said, glancing at Kaede. Kaede nodded very slightly and said nothing. She knew exactly where Saaya had really been and whom she had seen. Saaya sat down by the hearth and held her hands in front of it. " That feels good. Sorry I worried you guys." She said. She looked from Saeka to Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru had a dark look on his face as he stared at the floor. Saaya wasn't concerned, but Saeka had never seen him look like this, at least not since her run-in with her brother and Kagura. She stood up and made her way over to him. " Sesshomaru, I think we need to talk. Will you excuse us?" she asked Kaede. Kaede nodded. " Of course. I'll keep an eye on Saaya."

Saeka grabbed her companion's arm and dragged him outside. Once they were out of earshot, she faced him.

" Okay, spill." She said. " What's wrong with you? You've been acting as though you were entrusted with the death-time of the earth since we got back from Naraku's castle. What's wrong, Sesshomaru? You're starting to worry me." She said sternly. He sighed and looked away. He couldn't meet her gaze. " Saeka, it's nothing." He said. " I'm fine."

" Sesshomaru, there's something wrong. Usually, you keep your emotions locked away, even around me. But lately, you've seemed, upset, even sad about something. I've never seen you look like this before."

Sesshomaru felt the tug at his heart once more. He wanted to tell her what he'd done, but he just couldn't do that to her. He sighed. " Saeka, it's late. We should really get back inside."

He turned to leave, but Saeka stopped him. " Sesshomaru, are you hiding something?" she asked quietly. He almost panicked, but he kept it in control. " No, No I'm not hiding anything."

Saeka just stared at him, her gaze hurt and saddened. " Sesshomaru, I know when you're lying to me. I hate that, you know. After all we've been through, you'd think you could at least tell me of all people what's wrong." She said bitterly.

" Saeka, I want to, I mean, Ugh, Saeka I just, I can't. I just can't." he stammered. She had him cornered and he was going to have to fight if he wanted to get out alive. Saeka lowered her head and sighed shakily. " I thought only your brother was dumb enough to get into things like this." She muttered. " So much for not keeping secrets with each other."

" Saeka."

" No. Have I ever kept a secret from you? Especially if I thought you had to hear it? Like when I found out I was going to have a baby, I was scared to death that you'd abandon me. I seriously thought that you wouldn't want it. But I told you anyway, and you were supportive of me. Probably more so than you would have been had I let you find out on your own and then come to suspect me of something stupid. Sesshomaru, you should know this by now."

Sesshomaru looked away and sighed. " Saeka, you don't understand." He said. Saeka shook her head. " You're right. I don't."

She turned and made her way back to Kaede's hut. Sesshomaru watched her go. He looked up at the sky and sat down on the grass. " She's right." He murmured. " InuYasha isn't the only idiot around here."

He sighed and leaned his head on his hand.


	7. The Plan to Save an 'Enemy'

The Plan to Save an 'Enemy'

Koga stormed about the ruined courtyard in a fury. Ayame sat with one of her white wolves and watched placidly.

" I can't believe he got away!" Koga fumed. Ayame sighed. " Koga, can we _please_ move on. My wolves are hungry. You've been driving us north for days now. We could have found him by now if we'd started out earlier."

" Be quiet, Ayame! I'm trying to think!"

" Humph. Ever since you lost that Kagome girl to InuYasha, you've been taking it out on me! I don't appreciate this one bit." Ayame snapped.

" You really think I care?" Koga muttered. He sighed. " Look, I smelled Naraku on the wind, he was near recently. We lost his scent beside this old badger set in the woods, remember?"

" Yes, I remember. I was there, stupid." Ayame snapped. Koga whirled.

" One more word!" he threatened.

" Koga, who's faster, even against one _with_ the remnants of a sacred jewel shard in his leg?" Ayame said mockingly.  
" I hate you sometimes."

" Don't kid yourself, you hate me _all_ the time." Ayame grumbled. He nodded. " For once, I have to agree with you."

" Humph." Ayame wasn't as fond of him as she had been almost nine years ago. The first four or five years were fine, until their son was about two. Then Koga started to act funny, claiming to smell Naraku in the air. He'd then become fond of taking off for days at a time, to the point where Kigo forgot what his father looked like.

Now, Kigo stayed with Ayame's grandfather and the others while she was forced to accompany Koga all over Japan in search of someone from his memory or imagination. Ayame figured that since she hadn't gotten a whiff of anything suspicious, that it probably was both.

" Ko-o-oga!" she complained. " I'm going to leave you behind if you don't make up your mind now."

Koga sighed irritably and turned. " Fine. But one thing is for sure, Ayame, he was here. And so was that mutt, InuYasha. And you know what else?"

" What?"

" Remember that Sesshomaru guy?" Koga said. Ayame crossed her arms.

" Yeah, what about it? Wasn't it his kid you tried to steal last year?"

" Yeah, the girl who could talk to wolves. I've been trying to find her. Sanya, wasn't it?"

Ayame groaned. " It was Saaya, not Sanya. Jeez."

" Well why should I have a reason to remember the mutt-girl's name? She wasn't my kid and remembering kid's names is supposed to be a woman's job." Koga snapped, kicking a pile of fallen rocks away and searching under them.

" Koga, you don't even remember _your_ kid's name! Sometimes, I think you forget you even _have_ a kid!" Ayame yelled furiously.

" Ayame, just shut up, will you?" Koga griped. Ayame stamped her foot angrily. " Like hell, I will! You're going to hear what I have to say whether you like it or not, Koga!"

" I regret ever saving you, Ayame!"

" Koga, you are a terrible father to Kigo! He forgets what you look like!"

" Not my problem the kid has a bad memory!"

While they were in each other's faces yelling about their separate parenting skills, another wolf joined the white one and sat down.

Do they always have to do this? The brown one asked the white one. The white one whined.

I believe it's their way of showing affection. And I thought we were weird. The white one replied.

They both watched the escalating fight and slowly began to fall asleep on their feet.

Saaya, clutching a small bundle with some bread in it, snuck out of the hut and toward the forest. She could heard Kisho yelling to her left, but she ignored him as she made her way to where Naraku lay at the base of the great oak.

She emerged into the glade and looked around. She could see him in the distance, completely still, apparently asleep. She approached cautiously.

" Naraku?" she called softly. She saw his head turn. " Saaya. What took you so long?" he asked quietly. She sat down beside him. " Sorry. I had to make up an excuse to dad."

" Did he believe you?"

" Yes."

Naraku chuckled. " Smart girl." He said. He sighed and closed his eyes. He was still weak. Saaya set the bundle down. " Naraku, once you've recovered, what are we going to do?" she asked. He looked at her strangely. " What do you mean?"

" I mean, my parents and family will never trust you. I don't know why dad brought you back to life, but he did forbid you to come anywhere near me. Yet here we are, just like old times."

Naraku slowly sat up a little more. " Saaya, there isn't much we can do. Your father and uncle have always hated me. They won't believe me if I try to tell them that I'm not the Naraku they knew anymore. I'm someone entirely different, but they won't listen to reason." He said gloomily. Saaya furrowed her brow.

" But they have to listen. You can't just vanish forever. I want to stay with you." She said.

" I know, but it's very difficult, Saaya." He said. " I've done a lot of stupid things in my life, and capturing you was probably the worst. But look where it got me." He said, smiling. Saaya sighed. " There has to be something."

" Any ideas?"

" Well, I don't know. We can cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, let's just work on getting you fully recovered."

He nodded. " Very well. But Saaya, you realize, this barrier around me will only last one more day. Then, I'm on my own. If I'm not completely well by then, I could be in trouble."

Saaya looked away. " I understand. There has to be something I can do." She muttered. She sighed. " I just don't want to lose you again."

" Nor I you, but face it, if we're going to stay together, we've got to suffer for it." He said grimly. Saaya bowed her head.

" You said Kaede knows you're here." She said suddenly. He nodded.

" Yes. She's the one who found me."

" Maybe she can think of something. She's one of the smartest people I know. I'll ask her."

Naraku smiled. " I'll hope for the best for both of us."

Sesshomaru and Saeka approached Kisho's tree. The odd boy was rolling his head around and groaning irritably. He glared at them as they came closer.

" Half-breed." He sneered. Sesshomaru snarled at him and Kisho squeaked and fell silent.

" I'm tiring fast of those comments." Sesshomaru warned.

" Sesshomaru, it's his only weapon. Be thankful he hasn't discovered his true powers as a demon, even half-demon at that." Saeka said. Kisho mimicked her words and sighed. " When are you going to let me down?" he grumbled.

" We don't know, Kisho." Saeka said. " You can't exactly be trusted around me, as we have so grudgingly found out."

" Twice, you've attacked us." Sesshomaru said. " Twice, you disregarded what little trust we held for you. You may not be let down for as long as you live."

" Aw, come on!" Kisho yelled. He turned to Saeka. " You stupid wench! If you'd have just died when I tried to kill you the first time, I wouldn't even be here!"

Before Kisho could blink, Sesshomaru's claws were at his neck once again. Kisho choked and tried to talk, but Sesshomaru applied pressure, cutting off his air. " Human, if Saeka hadn't asked me to spare you, I'd have sliced your throat open long ago, perhaps even the day you came and tried to kill her."

Kisho gurgled some nonsense in reply.

" Sesshomaru, we talked about this." Saeka said half-heartedly. She was starting to reconsider her so-called bonds with the valley.

" Dad? What's going on?" a soft voice said nearby. Sesshomaru, Saeka and Kisho all turned eyes on Saaya, emerging from the forest with Mononoke at her side and a pink bundle in her hand. She was wearing her hair down for once, making herself resemble Sesshomaru more than Saeka, which was rare. Saeka figured she must have broken the tie. Sesshomaru released Kisho and stepped back. " Hello, Saaya." He said quietly. " What are you doing here?"

" Kaede told me to bring some food for Kishu."

" That's Kisho!" Kisho yelled. Saaya glanced at him, but ignored him for the most part. " I brought some stuff she gave me and I was planning to give it to him, but after what he just called mom, I might have to reconsider." She said snippily. Kisho glared at her. His eyes narrowed. " You're Saeka's little whelp, aren't you?" he hissed. Saaya whirled to face him. " Look you creep, I'm no shrinking violet! If you think you can harass me and my mother and get away with it, you'll be sorry." She yelled. She opened the bundle and took out some bread. She threw it at him, hitting him in the face. " You think you're so smart, then try to eat it yourself!" she screamed. Saeka giggled and Sesshomaru looked back toward the village to hide the amused smile playing at his lips. Kisho seemed even more afraid of Saaya than he did Sesshomaru or Saeka. Kisho shook his head and called after her. " Well, you're just a…a…a dummy head!" he yelled.

" Lame!"

Kisho went red in the face and struggled furiously at his bonds. " Let me out of here, Dang it!" he bellowed. Sesshomaru and Saeka exchanged glances and wandered off, toward the forest leaving Kisho to scream his head off in fury.

Saaya hurried to Kaede's hut and burst in the door. Kaede was sitting at the hearth and appeared startled when Saaya rushed in and fell to her knees beside the fire. " Please, lady Kaede!" she said, out of breath. " I know you know about Naraku. Please, you have to help me save him!" she begged. Kaede's expression softened to grim understanding. " I see that ye have found the demon, child." She said. " But I'm afraid there is nothing more I can do for Onigumo. He must venture on his own in order to survive." She said, stirring the contents of the pot. Saaya shook her head. " No, please! Kaede, I love him and now that he's come back to me, I don't want to lose him once more! Please, there has to be something I can do to save him without dad finding out! Please!" Saaya cried tearfully, gripping the sleeve of the old woman's kimono. Kaede stared down at the girl gravely. " Saaya, if I did anything, thy father would become enraged. I've no idea as to why he revived Onigumo in the first place, but if he knew thee hath found him once more, he would surely kill him." She said.

" He'd have to kill me first." Saaya replied defiantly. " I won't let anyone hurt him. I love him, don't you understand?"

Kaede sighed and looked at the floor. " Saaya, I understand that thy father doesn't always think clearly when he deals out judgment. But he knows what's best for thee and he'll never relent. He and Onigumo have always been sworn enemies."

" Why do you keep calling him Onigumo? His name is Naraku." Saaya said.

" When I was younger, he was known to us as Onigumo. My late sister, Kikyo cared for him when he came gravely wounded. As time passed, he grew to love my sister and became jealous of InuYasha, who loved her as well. He allowed demons to devour his flesh and he was reborn as Naraku. He then took the shapes of InuYasha and my sister and attacked them both in the separate forms. Then, many, many years later, he used Sesshomaru in a plan to get the sacred jewel from Kagome. Sesshomaru didn't know all the details of the plan and went along with it until a certain point. Ever after, he bore a bitter grudge against Naraku for using him as such." Kaede said.

" But Kaede, Naraku's changed since then. He's so much kinder now and he loves me, too! He told me himself he wishes he could go back and stop himself from doing all of those things so that we could be together!" Saaya said excitedly. Kaede sighed. " I just don't know what ye can possibly do to spare his life, child." She said quietly.

" At least help me move him to the groves behind the hut in the forest. Then I can keep an eye on him. Please." She said. Kaede hummed and looked away, as though considering this. Finally, she heaved a sigh and nodded. " Very well. I will help ye get him to the groves in the forest out back. But I cannot be responsible for what might happen, Saaya. If Sesshomaru finds out, it's between thee and him."

" I understand." Saaya said. She got up. " We can move him tonight. I'll go back and stay with him until then. The barrier was getting weak when I left."

Kaede nodded. " Aye. I'll be sure to tell thy father something for you." She said. Saaya bowed deeply. " Thank you, Lady Kaede." She murmured. She turned and hurried out the door back to the forest. Kaede watched her leave and sighed.

" I'm getting too old for this." She mumbled.

Saaya hurried up the hill and approached the forest, close to the tree where Kisho still hung. Kisho glared at her as she passed, but said nothing. She ignored him as she continued on, her thoughts focused only on Naraku waiting for her within the trees. As she disappeared in the gloom, Kisho stared off into space, wondering.

Naraku awoke to footsteps and felt his heart beat faster, knowing he had a lot to worry about now that the barrier was almost dissipated. But when Saaya appeared in the moonlight wafting down, he sighed in relief. Saaya hurried over and sat down beside him. " Guess what." She murmured. He sat up a little straighter. " I give up. What?" he said. She made a tiny, high-pitched noise and threw her arms around him. " Kaede's going to help us! You're going to be safe! She cried happily. She pulled away slightly and looked at him. " I can hardly believe that you've come back." She said.

" I can't believe it either." He said. " I don't know why Sesshomaru brought me back after all that's happened."

Saaya shrugged. " It doesn't matter. The important thing is, that you're going to be safe now. Kaede's coming to help me get you to the groves in the forest behind the hut. I'll be able to see you all the time and when you're stronger, we'll be able to leave." She said.

" You'd want to leave? Why?" He asked.

" Until father accepts it, we'd have to stay away from him for a long time. But, let's cross that bridge when we come to it." She said. She lay down in the roots of the tree beside him and sighed. " Best get some rest. Kaede won't be here for some time, yet." She mumbled. He gently pulled her closer and closed his eyes. " Everything is going to be fine, Saaya." He murmured.

A few hours passed when Kaede finally arrived and by then, it was pitch dark. She found them deeply asleep in each other's arms, sheltered by the tree and completely oblivious that the barrier had entirely dissipated. Kaede smiled and moved to the other side of the tree to wait until they awoke. They were so peaceful for once, without the constant threat of discovery in the fantastical dream world that it didn't seem right to disturb them. She leaned against the tree and stared into the darkness, thinking of her sister and how much she still missed her.

A/N: I'm getting to severe tricky parts here. Or at least I was when I started. I still have a few books to go and for once, I'm anxious to move on to the next series to claim the idea before someone else does. Has anyone written a full story on the life of Izayoi? Good night, I hope not! I worked SO hard at this idea! I want it to be completely original! Well, lah dee dah, lah dee dee! Enjoy the chapter!


	8. Suspicions Arise

Suspicions Arise

Saaya rushed by Kisho once again, toward the old woman's cabin. Kisho called out to her, " Hey! Demon-girl!"

To his surprise, she paused. " What?" she demanded.

" Why do you keep going into the forest? Got something to hide?"

" Why don't you close that hole in your face before it fills with flies!" she retaliated. She dashed off again, only to reappear moments later with a bottle and a basket. He watched her as she vanished within the gloom of the forest and sighed. That's when an idea struck him. " Hey," he murmured. " That little whelp seems to be the trusting kind. Maybe, if I can win her over, she'll let me go."

He cackled a little bit at this. He'd have to swallow a considerable amount of pride in order for this to work, but in the end, it would be worth it.

" Here." Kaede said to him. She handed him the bottle Saaya had brought. He took it. " What is this?"

" It's badger scent. Quite a bit is still in there, even after Miharu used it to run away when she was still alive. Inhale that and ye will smell like a badger. Better do it fast. Ye have been without the barrier for almost a full day. It's lucky that Sesshomaru or InuYasha haven't picked up thy scent already."

" Or Koga and Ayame." He added. Saaya cocked her head curiously.

" Koga and Ayame? What do they have to do with it?" she asked.

" They held a grudge against me, too. On my way here, they were headed to my castle to look for me. I barely managed to avoid them." He said, breathing in the scent and making a face. " Ugh, this stuff smells awful!" he pointed out.

" I know, but it will help thee. The more ye breathe in, the longer ye will be a badger." Kaede said. Naraku sighed and continued breathing in the scent, though his facial expression didn't alter much during the whole time. Saaya giggled and he cast her the evil eye. " I could easily force you to try this." He grumbled. Kaede instinctively backed away, a sudden inkling telling her what was going to happen.

" Oh really?" Saaya said, unbelieving. " And what makes you think you'll succeed?"

" That's it!" Naraku yelled. With a sudden burst of energy, he leapt from his place and rammed into her, knocking her off the root she'd been sitting on. They both fell to the forest floor, Naraku pinning her down and holding the bottle close by while she struggled furiously beneath him. " Let me go! No! I'm serious, let me go now!" she cried. She tried to turn away from the stuff, but didn't succeed well. She coughed at the intensity of it and glared up at him. " Thanks, now dad's going to wonder why I smell like a badger." She growled. Naraku laughed and pushed away, helping her to her feet. Kaede was laughing so hard she had to hold onto a tree root to keep from falling over. " Don't worry, Saaya. Ye didn't breathe in that much. Ye will only be a badger for an hour or so. He'll be one for about a month."

" That's good." She replied, glancing at him. He'd sealed up the bottle and looked sick. " Yes. I feel nauseous now." He groaned.

" It'll pass." Kaede said. " Now, all we have to do, is get thee to the forest grove. It seems like thy strength has returned, seeing as ye were able to tackle Saaya." Kaede said, chuckling. " It won't be easy, though."

" Why not?" Naraku asked.

" Kisho. He may be a coward of a demon, but he'd yell and alert Sesshomaru. We'll have to find some way to distract him."

" I can handle that." Saaya said. "I'll go on ahead and start on it. You both get past us as soon as you can." She said. Kaede nodded and Saaya took off through the forest to Kisho's tree. Naraku watched her go with a sad expression. Kaede noticed this. " And what might be the trouble, Onigumo?"

He made a face at the name, but said nothing about it. " It's strange, Lady Kaede." He muttered. " Why did Sesshomaru bring me back, and forbid me to see Saaya again? If he didn't want me to return, he shouldn't have brought me back to life."

" Obviously, his daughter's torn heart reached even his own." Kaede said. Naraku hummed. " Maybe. I don't know what will happen if he catches me, though. I'm nowhere near strong enough to compare to what I used to be. I want that power back, but I only want it to protect Saaya. Also, I hardly think I'm anywhere near good enough for her, as yet." He said gravely.

" And why not?" Kaede asked as they started toward the village.

" Kaede, she's the only one I ever cared for since I became what I am. And Kikyo doesn't count, because I was truly known as Onigumo then. Saaya actually got me to think while I held her captive at my castle."

" And is that good?"

Naraku stopped to think a moment. To her surprise, he smiled. " Yes. That's very good." He replied.

Saaya approached Kisho's tree and glared at him, her arms folded. " Okay, I'd like to ask you something and you'd better answer me truthfully." She said. He just stared at her.

" Kisho, right?" she said. He nodded. She hummed. " How come you hate my mom so much? It isn't like she's done anything to you."

Kisho smirked. " Humph. I just—" He was about to say something, but he paused when he remembered that Saaya might be his ticket out. He had to win her over. Swallowing what little pride he still had, Kisho sighed.

" Look. Your mom lived in my valley when she was younger and no one likes demons around. Before she ran off, she terrorized the village."

Saaya's eyes widened. Kisho wanted to scream in triumph. What little he said was working. He wasn't really lying either. Saeka actually had terrorized the village without even doing anything. Just her mere presence had spooked everyone.

" She did?" Saaya said. Kisho nodded.

" Yes. It probably isn't anything now. She was a young demon then, and possibly just learning to control her powers. But still, she murdered my cousin and nearly killed my grandmother when she transformed." He said, referring to nearly giving Lady Mirai a heart attack at the sight of the dragon. Saaya exhaled and looked away. " I…I don't believe you." She said defiantly. " My mother is gentle and would never hurt anyone intentionally."

" Yeah, now she wouldn't. But back then, is a whole different matter, girl." He said gravely, adding a little drama for spice. Saaya looked at the ground. " She never said anything." She whispered. Kisho sighed. " I'm sure. She wouldn't want you or that other demon to think badly of her." He said.

" You mean my father?" Saaya said flatly.

" Yeah. Sess-something-or-other."

Saaya sighed exasperatedly. " Sesshomaru." She said. " And I find it hard to believe that what you're saying is the truth."

Kisho was about to reply, but as he opened his mouth, Lady Kaede appeared at the edge of the forest. " Saaya! Come on!" she called. Saaya glanced at Kisho strangely. " Why do I have the feeling that something about you isn't right?" she murmured. She dashed off to return to the village with the old priestess. Kisho stared after her.

" She's nicer than I thought she would be." He whispered.

Saaya followed Lady Kaede to the grove where she'd moved Naraku. She'd gotten him there in a far less amount of time than Saaya had expected it to take. When she asked Kaede about it, Kaede just smiled and chuckled, saying wise old priestesses had a few secrets up their sleeves.

" He'll be safer here and Sesshomaru won't be able to detect his presence. Since Naraku has next to no aura left, it'll be that much easier." Kaede explained. The short trip to the grove had left him worn out and he'd dozed off.

" Thank you, Lady Kaede." Saaya said. Kaede nodded. " Of course, child. I truly believe that he is telling the truth when he tells us he has changed. I can sense it." Kaede said quietly. Saaya smiled and bowed. " I can't thank you enough. I'll be able to care for him until he gains his strength once more. My only problems are dad and uncle."

" Don't worry. If they start heading this way, I'll think up some errands." Kaede said, chuckling.

" Won't they get suspicious if you give them too many errands the minute they try to come back here?" Saaya pointed out curiously.

" I'm always needing things. They won't suspect a thing. Now, I'll leave ye to thy business and get some work done back in the village."

" All right." Saaya said. Kaede tramped off through the forest, leaving them alone. Saaya watched her go and turned to Naraku, completely asleep at the base of a tree. She made her way over and sat down beside him. His eyes opened slightly and turned to look at her.

" Well, if I'm dead, it isn't that bad." He said, chuckling a bit. Saaya made a face. " Very funny, smart alec." She said snippily. He sat up slowly and sighed.

" I definitely like it better here than I did back in the forest, Saaya. It's more peaceful, the sun can get in more easily and it's closer to you."

" Yeah, but if you pull anymore stunts like with the badger scent, I'll have to throw a fish at you."

" And risk your father finding me?"

" I'll just say a wolf tried to attack me." Saaya retaliated. " I just fought him off with a fish."

" That may just happen if you keep up the smart remarks." He said fiendishly. Saaya pretended to be insulted. " Well I never!" she scoffed. She made to get up.

He suddenly lashed out and yanked her back down, pinning her to the forest floor. " Hey!" she yelled, but instantly silenced herself, due to the close proximity of the village. He laughed in his throat. " That's another thing, Saaya. We're close to the village now, so you can't yell if a wolf does attack you." He teased.

" Oh shut up." She grumbled. She tried to shove him away. " Would you get off me?"

" Say please."

Saaya sighed and rolled her eyes. " _Please_." She said. He got up and sat back down. Saaya sat up and stared at him. He cocked his head curiously.

" What?"

" Do you really love me? Or are you still after my power?" she asked quietly. Naraku's eyes widened. " Saaya, why would you ask such a thing? I couldn't care less about taking your power now. Of course I love you."

Saaya looked at the ground. Instantly concerned, he leaned forward and turned her head to face him. " Saaya, what's wrong?" he muttered. " Did I do something?"

Saaya shook her head. " No. You did nothing. I'm sorry I doubted you. I should never even think of anything like that."

" Saaya, don't worry about it. Doubting is natural for all creatures, even demons." He said wisely. Saaya smiled thinly. " I know." She said. " But still. I can't shake the feeling that something isn't right."

Naraku hummed and looked at the ground. " Could it be that maybe you're afraid of something coming up in the near future?" he asked. Saaya shook her head. " No, it's more like something I'm afraid of that I heard." She said.

" From whom?"

" There's a boy tied up outside the village named Kisho. He tried to kill my mother once. Obviously, he didn't get away with it, but he said something to me that bothered me." She said quietly.

" What'd he say?" Naraku asked. Saaya shook her head again. " It-It's nothing. I'd better be getting inside. You'll be safe here from my father and the wolf tribe." She murmured. " Good night."

She turned and left the glade. Naraku stared after her and turned another direction, thoughtfully. " I wonder what that boy said to her." He mumbled.

Sesshomaru and Saeka had wandered a long ways from the village, not really having any planned destination in mind, but just talking quietly. Sesshomaru didn't say much tonight, though. His secret was eating away at him; burning a whole within his being the longer he kept it restrained. He knew Saeka would find out eventually, that Naraku was still alive and possibly searching for Saaya. He knew that if he found her, he'd take her away and they'd never see her again. He knew Saeka was strong, but even she wasn't strong enough to go through this once again with the pain of Miharu's loss still fresh in both of their hearts, even after all this time. Though he didn't quite understand the bond a mother has with her child like Saeka did with Miharu for the short amount of time they knew her, he felt the twinge of guilt that maybe her death was somewhat his fault as much as the Time Travelers' had been. True, he'd never quite get exactly what a mother's bond with her son or daughter was, but he'd always feel a connection.

He looked over at his companion. She was grim, facing forward and quiet. She looked like a sacrificial victim being led to the altar, accepting death and welcoming eternal peace.

" Saeka." He said. She blinked and looked up at him. " Yes?"

" Are you feeling all right? You're quite pale."

" I'm fine. I'm just a little dizzy." She replied. " It happens occasionally."

He noticed that she was shaking slightly. He faced forward again. He knew that she was still upset about a secret she knew he had and wasn't telling her. Obviously, she could tell whether it was something she needed to hear or not. Truth be told, it was, but he didn't want to tell her. He grimaced, trying to resist the temptation to tell her now, get it over with when no one else was around to hear it.

Finally, he sighed heavily and looked back at her. " Saeka, I have something I need to tell you." He said quietly.

" What is it?" she asked. He met her gaze. He could see it in her eyes that she would trust him no matter what.

" Saeka, you must stay calm about this." He warned. She nodded. He closed his eyes. " That night that we took Saaya away from Naraku's castle, I remained behind."

" I know." She said. He took a deep breath. This wasn't going to get any easier. " I suppose I should tell you why I lingered."

" I have wondered about that." Saeka said.

" Saeka, after you and everyone had left, I…I revived Naraku." He said, looking away. Saeka gasped, her eyes widening and the pupils dilating. " You didn't." she whispered. " Sesshomaru, are you serious?"

" Yes. I figured you might understand, considering how you understand Saaya's feelings." He murmured. To his surprise, Saeka's face darkened. " No, I don't understand that way. I know that Saaya still loves Naraku, but if he's freely wandering around, searching for her, you know what this is bound to lead to? Is this the secret you kept from me?"

He hesitated, and then nodded. Saeka's eyes narrowed and she backed away. " Sesshomaru, how could you? Do you realize what you've done?" she whispered.

" I had thought you wanted him back for the sake of Saaya." Sesshomaru pointed out.

" Tell me, Sesshomaru. What else am I supposed to say to a grieving daughter besides what she needs to hear at the moment? Of course I didn't mean it." Saeka said. She covered her eyes with her hand and shook her head. " Who knows what'll happen?" she murmured.

" Saeka, you know as well as I do that Naraku is no longer a match for us. If he shows up and tries to get to Saaya, we'll be able to deal with him. I promise you, Saeka. Naraku won't live if we ever see him again."

Up in the trees, unseen, unheard by her parents, Saaya sighed deeply.

Koga chuckled and turned northward. He whirled to face Ayame who was brushing one of her wolves with her claws and talking to it.

" Ayame, we're going now. I think I've picked up his scent." He said triumphantly. Ayame rolled her eyes, stood up and stretched. " Finally. I was beginning to think I should send for Kigo." She said. She dashed after Koga as he took off, their wolves following them.

They were headed in the direction of Kaede's village.

A/N: I don't really know what else to say. I'm a little distracted at the moment, due to some searching of my room. My brother wants my DS currently and he can't seem to find it, while he rifles through my room. Why do I let him? I'm confidant he won't find it beneath my bed where I've hidden it.


	9. Stopping The Hourglass

Stopping The Hourglass

Saaya slowly stumbled into the grove and almost literally fell onto the grass, groaning. Naraku watched for a brief second before asking, " Uh, Saaya? Are you okay?"

She looked up and spat out a mouthful of grass. " Blech! No." she said. Her head flopped back down. He leaned forward, gently grasped her ponytail and lifted her head up. " You want to talk to about it

Her eyes swiveled to meet his. " If you'll listen."

" Of course." He replied. She got up, made her way over and sat down next to him, leaning on his shoulder wearily.

" What's wrong, Saaya?" he asked her.

" Mom knows you're alive." Saaya murmured. Naraku's eyes widened.

" Saeka? How?"

" Dad told her. He admitted that he'd brought you back to life and he says that if he ever sees you around here, you die without question."

" That sounds like Sesshomaru, all right." He grumbled. " He still has it in for me, apparently."

Saaya suddenly threw her arms around him. " I don't want you to die!" she cried in a muffled voice, her face buried in his kimono. He hugged her close and whispered, " I'm not going to. I won't die, Saaya. Not for a long, long time yet."

She started to shake as she compressed the sobs in her body. " It was horrible when he killed you back at the castle." She said shakily.

" I know. I hated leaving you. You mean so much to me, Saaya. It's you who set me right. Without you, I would have stayed the same and probably would have gotten myself killed in the long run anyway."

" Don't say things like that! I won't let them kill you just because of some ancient grudge. I don't care what you did in the past, it's what you do now, in the present that counts." Saaya said, looking up with tear-filled eyes.

" But the past was a present at some point, Saaya. I can't erase it." He said quietly. " Your father will never let go of his grudge against me. Even if he spares my life, he'll never see me as you do, someone different."

Saaya looked away and sighed. " I don't know what to do. Kaede is the only one who knows you're here and mom and dad both know you're alive, though they don't know where you are."

" Don't forget the wolf tribe." Naraku pointed out. " Remember, I had a close call on my way here. Koga and Ayame." He said. Saaya nodded.

" Yes, Koga almost kidnapped me when I was little." She said. " I liked Ayame, though. She was nice." Saaya said thoughtfully.

" We can deal with them when the time comes." He said. " In the meantime, let's just enjoy what time we have."

She nodded and leaned against him, closing her eyes. Naraku smiled at her and looked up into the treetops, where gentle sunbeams were wafting down and illuminating the grove with pure heavenly light. Somewhere in the distance, a bird cried out across the skies.

" Why did I take the path I chose?" he whispered into the wind. " When I allowed myself to be devoured by demons in order to become who I am now, what was I thinking?"

He glanced down at Saaya again. She was deeply asleep. Slowly, he leaned down and kissed her forehead, careful not to wake her. She moved, but didn't stir. He closed his eyes. _If I hadn't chosen the path I did,_ he thought, _I'd never have been able to go back the way I came. _

Ayame had finally managed to convince Koga to stop for a while halfway between the castle and Kaede's village. One of her white wolves was resting its head in her lap, eyes half closed while she stroked its ears. She continued to stare at her companion. " Koga, are you okay?" she asked. He was glaring at the ground angrily. " I'm fine, Ayame." He muttered.

" You don't look fine. Are you angry again? About what happened so long ago, I mean?" she asked. He looked up. She flinched, expecting a wise retort. But to her surprise, there was a bitter sadness in his eyes. " Yes. I still hate Naraku for what happened to my comrades. I'll never forgive him for that."

" I know how you feel. When that creature attacked the lands, killing everything in its wake, I lost many friends and family members. I almost lost my grandfather. I almost lost you." She added quietly. He smiled just a little bit. She cleared her throat. " Koga, though we fight a lot now, I do love you. You have to understand that." She said.

" I know, Ayame. I guess part of our relationship is to fight. It's normal." He muttered, glancing up at her. Ayame shrugged. " I can accept that. But Koga, sometimes, there's logic to our fights. You really don't pay enough attention to Kigo whenever we see him. You act like he's some other wolf's cub rather than your own." She murmured. He sighed. " I know that, Ayame. But if we want him to remain ours in this world, we have to remove Naraku as a threat. I don't want my son to become bait for one of his despicable plans." He growled.

" Nor do I, but just promise me this, Koga. The next time we go to see Kigo up in the mountains, please try to spend some time with him. He wants to know his father better."

Koga looked up at her. There were times like this when he couldn't remember what it was like back when he loved Kagome. In fact, most of the time, he forgot Kagome's name. Once, after he'd started to pay attention to Ayame, he'd accidentally called Kagome, Ayame. While Kagome and her friends had stared at him incredulously, he'd taken off running as fast as he could. He'd barely seen her since then.

He smiled. " I promise, Ayame."

InuYasha sat on the banks of the lake while Kagome taught Sakura to swim. She'd gone back to her own time to grab her swimsuit and buy one for Sakura, as well as a floatie toy to keep her buoyant. Sakura splashed gleefully in the water, dunking her face in it and flipping back her hair to make it stand straight up. InuYasha chuckled. " She sure is exuberant today." He said. Kagome glanced over. " Yeah. I don't know where she gets all of this energy." She said, ducking as Sakura snapped a river reed in her direction. Kagome took the reed and dropped it in the water. Sakura giggled and peered down into the water at a catfish swimming beneath her floatie. Kagome waded a little closer to shore, dragging Sakura behind her. She gently pulled the floatie toward her and spun it in a circle, making Sakura squeal with pleasure. As her little top whizzed past, Kagome sat down in the shallow water and sighed. " Have you noticed that Saeka has been kind of morbid lately?" she asked InuYasha. He nodded. " Yeah. She and Sesshomaru returned from walking the other day and she looked like she'd been to hell and back. I wonder what happened. He seemed fine, but she was white as flour." He said concernedly. Kagome sighed and followed Sakura with her eyes as the girl tried to spin herself again, resulting in wobbly turns instead.

" I'm a little worried. She hasn't been like this since the moment we left Malsshinyor. Do you think Sesshomaru did something to her?"

" Like what? What could he possibly do that she couldn't fight off or talk him out of?" InuYasha asked pointedly. Kagome shrugged. " I don't know. Maybe he struck her or something."

" Nah, she's stronger than that and wouldn't tolerate it." InuYasha said. " I doubt Sesshomaru would do that intentionally anyway. Nowadays, at least." He added. Kagome sighed. Both of them watched Sakura dog paddle across the water in her floatie, chasing a butterfly fluttering along the surface of the water.

" Something just seems out of place." Kagome said. " Have you noticed that Saaya's been acting weird, too?"

" Well, look who she's got for a father." InuYasha mumbled, resting his chin on his hand. Kagome rolled her eyes. " The same goes for Sakura." She grumbled. " No, I mean, for awhile, she went into one designated section of forest for hours on end. Now, she's changed her routine and goes into the forest behind Kaede's hut."

" So?"

" Also, she's seemed…enlightened, happy about something or other. I mean, I'm glad she's happy, but it's so strange. It's like she completely forgot Naraku."

" It would be good for her is she did. The guy deserved what he got." InuYasha commented. Kagome sighed and shuffled back into the water after Sakura. InuYasha just closed his eyes, gripping his Tetsuaiga and listening to the comforting sounds of his family. He opened his eyes as Kagome splashed back over, dragging Sakura and her floatie with her. " But InuYasha, she won't just forget him. She loved him."

" Feh. It's easy to forget someone." InuYasha bragged.

" Try forgetting someone you love." Kagome reprimanded gently. InuYasha opened one eye and looked at the ground.

Saaya trudged up the hill slowly, the basket bumping against her thigh as she went, lost in thought. Kaede had sent her with food to Kisho again. She hated this and she hated Kisho.

She glanced up as she approached his tree and found him to be watching her intently, not with malice, but something else altogether.

" Hey." He said.

" Shut up." She replied. He blinked. " I'm only trying to be friendly!" he protested.

" I'm not letting you go." Saaya said, setting the basket down and uncovering it.

" Hey, hey, hey, I don't want to be let down. Well, not at the moment, but no one ever talks to me and I figured you might."

" Nice try." Saaya grumbled. Kisho sighed and blew his hair out of his face.

" Can you be any more sarcastic? I just want to talk. I'm kind of lonely up here." He said pathetically. Saaya smiled sweetly. She stood up, a small loaf of bread in her hand.

" If you're so lonely, than talk to your dang shadow!" she snapped. He opened his mouth, but she stopped what he was going to say by shoving the little loaf between his teeth and walking away with the basket. He called a few muffled things to her, groaned in frustration and started working on the bread. As he tried to bite some off, the rest fell from his mouth to the ground at his feet. He swallowed what he had and stared at what fell.

" AAAAAAAGGGHHHH!!!!!" he wailed.

Saaya crept to the grove with some food. Kaede had sent it with her, saying that he might want some, seeing as he'd been resting for much of his time there. Although it was difficult to drag through the bushes, Saaya managed and found herself beside him at the tree once more. He turned his eyes toward her. " You're out late." He murmured. Saaya set the basket down. " I like being here." She said. She looked around at the moonlight shining through. " It's peaceful." She whispered. He smiled slightly. " You know, I could swear you were the moonlight itself." He said.

" Flatterer." Saaya said snippily. " I didn't come to fool around, I came to give you this." She said, gesturing to the basket. He glanced at it. " What is it?"

" Well, are you hungry?"

" Sort of." He said. She rolled her eyes.

" Yes or no will suffice." She grumbled. He chuckled. " I love doing that. All right then, yes." He said. Saaya opened the basket and removed a piece of bread and gave it to him. He took it, but stared at it. Saaya cocked her head. " Is something wrong with it?" she asked. He looked up. " No." he said quietly. He looked away. He had a faraway look in his eyes as he stared up at the patches of night sky. " It's so strange." He whispered. " I've never felt so…at home."

Saaya gazed at him curiously. " Naraku? What do you mean?" she muttered. He glanced at her. " I've never actually taken the chance to experience life as I have been forced to recently." He said. " I can't believe I used to be what I was." He looked away with an expression of supreme guilt. Saaya crept closer and looked him in the eye. " You have to learn to forget what you did, and focus on what you can do to redeem yourself." She whispered. He stared at her, unable to believe that he had once intended to absorb her. He knew that she would let him if he tried, but he'd never do it, just the same.

" Saaya, I want so badly to forget. I'm different now than I was eight years ago when I fought with your family." He said, placing a hand on her shoulder. He sighed. " But your father, uncle, aunt, mother and whoever else hated me would never understand. They know the other me, too well. The one who always had some sort of plan in the back of his mind. They'll never see me for what I am now."

" We can make them see. We'll do whatever it takes." Saaya said determinedly. He smiled at her. " Where do you get all of that enthusiasm? I'd like to borrow some." He said.

" Sorry. It's part of my own, private stock. I'm afraid I can't lend it out." She said.

They both sat in silence for a while, listening to the sounds of the forest all around them. Naraku silently thanked the heavens for allowing him another chance. He vowed that if he met Sesshomaru again, before the demon killed him, he'd thank him for reviving him to see Saaya at least once more. If the demon lord did find him and Saaya wasn't around, then so be it, he thought. So long as she was safe, that was what counted. He'd gladly give up everything for her, if only she could go on and try to find someone new, should tragedy separate the two of them.

" You seem deep in thought." Saaya said. He looked at her again and sighed. " I am." He said.

" About what?"

" You." He replied bluntly and immediately made a face. It wasn't supposed that _that_ blunt. Saaya's eyes widened and she laughed. " I don't really doubt that. I'm here every day when I can lose my father and everyone. I'm lucky Mo went hunting for a few days and won't be back for a while."

He sat up a little straighter. " I'm glad that you come back everyday." He murmured.

" Yes, well, I should be getting back. It's late and I'll have to come up with something good."

" I wouldn't recommend the wolf excuse right now." He said playfully. She mocked his words and made a face at him, making him laugh. She stood up and stretched. To her surprise, he got up too and leaned against the tree on his unstable legs, weak from disuse.

" Going to practice walking?" she asked. He shrugged. " More or less."

" Good luck. I'm hoping to see you completely recovered soon."

She turned to go.

He suddenly reached out and pulled her back, meeting her gaze when she was facing him again. Her expression read mildly surprised. Before she could say anything, he leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers, kissing her gently. She seemed surprised, but gradually returned it, moving closer. Once again, he felt that energizing warmth spread throughout his body, but he knew that this time, it was a good thing and that she wasn't going to die on him. This was a completely new feeling for him, but he kept it back, focusing only on her, mainly letting his actions describe how he truly felt, where he could never say anything that would come close to measuring up.

Finally, he slowly pulled away and gazed at her, stunned at what he'd just done, expecting her to become enraged. But instead, she seemed serene.

" That was bold." She said.

" I'm sorry." He mumbled. He started to turn away, but she stopped him.

" Thank you." She said. He embraced her once more and then let her go, handing her the basket and watching as she slowly, reluctantly made her way back to Kaede's hut, occasionally glancing back at him as she went. Finally, when he could see her no longer, he sighed and turned back to his tree, sitting down into the welcoming roots and moss. He rested his head sideways on a root beside him and closed his eyes, anxious for her return the following day.

A/N: Okay, this was a slightly long chapter. But I actually just finished the book, and let me tell you, I'm not happy. I'm writing another to go with this and there's going to be like two more. But mind you, they're sad. If you cry easily, I don't suggest reading them.


	10. Saaya's Worst Day

Saaya's Worst Day

Saeka sat on the roof of Kaede's hut, brooding. But it was a good brood. She and Sesshomaru were getting along better than ever. She didn't find it comforting that Naraku was still alive and possibly hovering somewhere nearby, but aside from that, things were going unexpectedly well. Even Saaya seemed uncommonly cheerful today as she bustled about on errands for Lady Kaede.

" I said the foxglove, not the snapdragon." Kaede said to Saaya below as Saaya returned with some plants Kaede needed.

" Oh. Whoops." Saaya said. She snickered. " My bad!"

Kaede rolled her eyes. " Please be so kind as to try again." She said. " I can possibly use these another day."

She took the snapdragon and went inside. Saaya ran off again to find foxglove. Saeka sighed and looked out toward the lake. Kagome had been spending time teaching Sakura to swim. InuYasha sat by and watched. He could swim, but he didn't prefer it. That was one thing he and his brother had in common. They both hated the water. Saeka knew that both of them knew how to swim, but neither liked it. She glanced off to the left toward the mountains and the forest. That was the direction her home had once been. Of course, Mt. Hakurei was no longer there. Naraku had seen to that. But she had no desire to return anytime soon. She figured she probably never would.

" Saeka."

She turned at the sound of her name and found Sesshomaru staring up at her from the ground. She shifted positions.

" Hello." She said pleasantly. But her mood changed abruptly when she saw what he held in his hand. She sucked in her breath and slid off the roof, staring at it in horror. " Sesshomaru? What have you done?" she demanded.

He lowered his head to look at Mononoke. The wolf's upper body was draped loosely over one arm, panting hard and painfully from a deep and bloody gash in his side that was oozing blood all over the ground. The white wolf whined shrilly and opened one glazed yellow eye to look at her. Sesshomaru gently lowered him to the ground where he lay like a limp corn doll. Saeka rushed over and knelt beside him. " Mononoke, are you all right? What happened?" she cried, at once realizing that she had no way of understanding his answer. She looked up at her companion. " Hurry, go and find Saaya! We have to find out what happened!" she exclaimed. He nodded and rushed off in the direction she'd gone moments before. Saeka bent to look at Mononoke's wound. It was a great, gaping hole just above his right flank. She gently stroked his fur and murmured encouraging words to him.

A few minutes later, Sesshomaru returned with Saaya on his cloud. She'd obviously been farther away than they'd thought. Saaya jumped down at about ten feet and practically flew over, falling to her knees beside her brother. " Mo! Mo, what happened?" she cried in a panic.

Sis. 

" Mo, please, tell me what happened to you!"

Saeka and Sesshomaru listened intently as they communicated back and forth, Saaya speaking and Mononoke growling or letting out tiny woofs.

Do you remember Koga and Ayame? 

" Yes, I remember them."

Saaya, listen carefully. Koga went to Naraku's castle, searching for him and you. Him, to kill and you, to ransom for our village. Naraku wasn't there and neither were you. They never even found his body. They're on their way here! 

At the sudden snarl, Sesshomaru figured something was horribly wrong.

" No!" Saaya cried. " No, they can't be!"

I tried to fight them off, but their wolves are stronger than I and I was gravely wounded. They said that they could pick up a trace of Naraku's scent around here, in the village. 

Saaya nearly panicked at that, but remembered in the nick of time that Naraku was safely hidden and only she could understand what Mononoke was saying. She regained her composure and continued. " Mo, please, did they say anything else about that?"

About what? 

Saaya winced. " Naraku." She said shakily. Sesshomaru's eyes widened and flickered red.

Yes. He whined in pain. They said he was here, at the village. Saaya, if he is, than your father restored him to life and he's come for you. Koga wants to kidnap you again and ransom you to the village. You must flee from here. 

His breathing became heavily labored.

" No! Mo, please, you have to stay strong! Please!" Saaya begged.

Mononoke coughed and a small spatter of blood flew from his mouth. Saaya felt the hot tears running from her eyes. " No! Mononoke! Please! Don't leave me behind! You're my brother!" she cried, burying her face in his fur. Mononoke lifted his head wearily and licked her face. Saaya, be strong for me. I'll never really leave you. You're my sister. 

Saaya rested his head in her lap and stroked his ears. " Please, Mo."

Sesshomaru instinctively knew what was happening and turned away, feeling something catch in his throat. This was extremely unusual and highly troubling for him. Technically speaking, he was losing his son. Saeka bowed her head, stifling the slow sobs escaping her body. Mononoke closed his eyes. Saaya's head shot up. " Mo? Mo? MO!" she shrieked. " Mononoke!" Mononoke! No! Mo, please!"

She shook him gently. He didn't move. She shook her head back and forth, tears streaming from her eyes. " MONONOKE!" she screamed.

Down at the water, Kagome, InuYasha and Sakura whirled around.

" Oh no." Kagome gasped, splashing out of the water and toward the village, not even stopping to grab her towel. InuYasha ran after her and Sakura waddled along after them in her floatie.

They arrived to see Saaya clinging to Mononoke's lifeless head and sobbing bitterly.

" Saeka, what happened?" Kagome asked quietly.

" Sesshomaru found Mononoke like that." She said. That was all she said, and had to say. Kagome turned and buried her face in InuYasha's kimono, crying loudly. InuYasha simply stared blankly at the body of the white wolf in his niece's arms. " He's dead." He said quietly. He looked at his brother. " Can't you bring him back to life?"

" No. Tenseiga only works on demons and humans. Not animals. Besides, his wound is too grave. He'd die within minutes." Sesshomaru replied. " Animals go to a completely different realm after death than humans and demons do. No one is sure where animals go to."

" Huh?" InuYasha said, cocking an eyebrow. Sesshomaru looked over at him. " Think about it, InuYasha. Have you ever seen a single animal spirit in the world of the dead?"

InuYasha looked away, his face scrunched in thought. " No, I haven't." he said finally. Sesshomaru nodded. " Exactly."

Saaya stopped crying and stood up, setting her brother's head on the ground gently. She sniffed and dried her eyes on her sleeve. She turned and started to walk away.

" Saaya." Sesshomaru called. She turned slightly, her bangs obscuring her eyes. " Yes?" she mumbled.

" What did he say?"

" The wolf tribe is on its way to find me and kill the village after an unsuccessful attempt to kill Naraku who is apparently still alive. Koga is leading them and they aren't far. I think it's best if I leave for awhile."

Sesshomaru knew better than to try to stop her as she wandered off into the forest. He turned to InuYasha. " Let's go. We have to try to find the wolf tribe before they reach the village." He said. InuYasha nodded and turned to Kagome.

" You look after Saeka. Make sure nothing else happens to anyone while we're gone." He instructed.

" Right. Be careful." She said. He hurried after Sesshomaru, who seemed to be preparing to transform. His eyes had gone completely red. It was either that, or he was angry at Mononoke's death.

Saeka watched them go and turned to the body of her wolfish son. " I'm so sorry, Mononoke. I'm a terrible mother."

" No you aren't." Kagome said, kneeling down and placing her hands on Saeka's shoulders.

" Kagome, you haven't lost a child, much less two." Saeka muttered.

" True, but I have lost a niece and a nephew." Kagome pointed out. Saeka smiled weakly and sighed. " He'll need a proper burial." She whispered.

" I'll get some help." Kagome said.

Saaya crashed through the bushes, not caring how she got there, just that she got there. She scratched her face on something sharp and tasted blood on her lips. But she didn't stop.

She emerged into the clearing—and crashed into Naraku.

" Saaya, what—?" he started to say, but was cut off as she threw her arms around his neck, crying bitterly into his shoulder.

" Saaya." He said. " Saaya, settle down!"

She seemingly didn't hear him. " Saaya, please, tell me what happened." He said. " Come on, now. Settle down."

" He's dead!" she yelled.

" Who's dead? What are you talking about?" Naraku inquired.

" My brother! Mononoke! He's dead! He's dead!"

She only seemed to get more hysterical.

" Oh." He said quietly. He fell silent as she continued to wear herself dry of both her grief and her energy. As he listened to the dry sobs wrack her body, he glowered into space.

" Saaya, who killed your brother?" he asked.

" Koga and the wolf tribe." She said shakily.

Naraku hummed and carefully released her. " Saaya, I want you to get as far away from here as you can." He said, facing her and looking her right in the eye. She blinked. " Huh? Why?"

" Koga is after you. He killed your brother because Mononoke was in the way. I'm going back to the forest to try to slow them down."

Saaya gasped sharply. " No! I can't let you!" she said defiantly.

" You have to. Koga will kill everyone in the village if he catches it off guard again. You remember what happened last time. Even your father was caught off guard last time and trust me, that's not easy to accomplish. Koga will force you to give yourself up."

" But you still aren't strong. If you go, they'll smell you right away!"

" Please, Saaya. Please listen to me."

" I can't just let you go like that!" Saaya cried.

" Saaya, if whatever gods up there had deemed for me to be your companion, than you would obey me. Go and hide far from here, now!"

Saaya bowed her head, but stepped out of his way. " Please. You'd better come back alive." She whispered. He smiled thinly. " I promise." He said, immediately regretting it. There was no way he could promise something like that. She took a shaky breath and turned away, taking off through the trees at the other end of the grove. Naraku went on the way she had come, toward the village. He knew full well that he might never see Saaya again, but he was willing to risk everything for her safety. He had to.

Koga and Ayame paused outside the village. Koga pulled his lips back in a sneer. " So it seems that the mighty Sesshomaru has grown tame." He hissed.

Sesshomaru and InuYasha, after a fruitless search, were heading back and he could see them from his vantage point. Ayame rolled her eyes.

" Don't underestimate him, Koga." She whispered fiercely. But he wasn't listening as he suddenly burst from the trees, charging forward.

Sesshomaru whirled around and leapt out of the way just as Koga struck at him, nearly hitting InuYasha instead, who copied his brother's judgment.

" Koga! So you've come back, eh? Well, you've lost Kagome for good!" InuYasha yelled, whipping out the fully transformed Tetsuaiga. Sesshomaru drew Tokijjin and faced the wolf demon. " I remember you." He said. " Yours was the tribe that attacked Rin's village."

" I had a feeling you'd both know me. And don't worry InuYasha. I have no more interest in that pathetic human girl." He snarled.

" How dare you!" InuYasha bellowed. He swung the sword up. " _Wind Scar!_"

Koga barely managed to get out of the way as the barrage of powerful wind tore past him, grazing his back and singing some hair.

Over in the trees, Ayame watched, petrified as her companion fought the two enraged demons. She wasn't scared to fight, but she knew when not to. Unfortunately, Koga didn't seem so blessed with such knowledge. And now, Ayame knew that since InuYasha and Sesshomaru had settled their differences, they were twice the trouble they had been eight years ago. Koga didn't stand a chance. With a gasp, she dashed out just as Sesshomaru was about gouge through Koga with his poison claws. She jumped in between them and Sesshomaru, startled, halted his attack in time.

" Ayame?" InuYasha exclaimed. " What the heck are you doing here?"

" Please. Leave him alone. He's just stupid today." She said to them. Koga whipped his head up. " Hey! Ayame, what the hell're you doing?"

" Shut up!" she hissed. " We're…we're only looking for Naraku!"

Sesshomaru lowered his hand, raised in case of a trap. " Naraku? He's…he's dead." He said awkwardly. InuYasha glanced at him in surprise. This was a tone of voice he'd never heard Sesshomaru use before. Not even when he'd been sarcastic or lying. And Sesshomaru was a pretty good liar.

" Apparently not." Ayame said. " We went to his castle and picked up traces of his scent there. We also picked up the scent of your daughter, Sesshomaru. I think her name is Saaya. Am I right?"

" Yes." He replied.

" I knew it. You'd probably remember us. We, er, we almost took her when she was little. Before we ask you what we came to ask, I'd like to apologize for that."

He said nothing, so she continued. " We came because we're sure Naraku is around here. We picked up his scent again and it was near here, in the forest, that way." She said, pointing over her shoulder. Sesshomaru's eyes widened. The way she was pointing was the way Saaya had taken day after day for walks.

" Then, when we passed it, it morphed suddenly into the scent of a badger. So we lost the trail." She said dejectedly.

" He must have disguised himself. But I swear I saw him killed." InuYasha said thoughtfully. " Did he survive some—"

He gasped sharply and whirled to his brother. " You didn't!" he growled.

Sesshomaru said nothing, but looked away, his expression unwavering. InuYasha festered. " Sesshomaru! Dammit, what'd you go and do that for? We'd finally destroyed him! Now he's back in the world thanks to you?"

As an answer, Sesshomaru turned and started back toward the village. InuYasha called after him. " Hey! You've got some explaining to do, Sesshomaru!" he yelled.

" InuYasha, be silent. It wasn't my choice." Sesshomaru called.

" Say what? You mean the Tenseiga wanted to save him?"

But Sesshomaru didn't answer him.

InuYasha growled low and turned to Ayame and Koga, who'd gotten shakily to his feet, glowering at the half-demon.

" Koga, what say we all join forces?" InuYasha suggested. Koga blinked.

" Hell no! I'd rather die alone!" he retaliated.

" Koga, just work with him for once." Ayame snapped. " Even if we did find Naraku, we wouldn't be able to deal with him on our own."

Koga looked at her, and then looked at the ground. He glared up at the half-demon. " Fine. But just until Naraku's dead. Then we settle things once and for all." He growled.

" Agreed." InuYasha said. He turned to go. " I have to go talk to Kagome."

Koga faced his companion. " Ayame, rally the wolves and we'll meet again outside the village. Be ready to attack."

" Right. Naraku won't know what hit him!"

She ran off to get the wolves. Koga smirked at the village. " Heh, who's talking about Naraku?" he muttered under his breath.

Naraku hid in a tree and watched the confrontation between the dog-demons and the wolf demons. Sesshomaru had finally been found out. Naraku narrowed his eyes when InuYasha realized what had happened and starting yelling at his brother. Sesshomaru just turned and started back.

When he heard Koga tell Ayame to prepare to attack, he knew that Koga wasn't going to uphold his part of the bargain. He was going to take Saaya, even after killing her brother.

" I won't stand for this." He whispered. " How dare he do that to Saaya. How dare he cause her so much pain!"

He turned around and jumped into the next tree. His demonic strength was returning. Soon, he'd be back to normal. His powers would gradually return. He paused outside the village, silently dropped down from the tree and hid behind the trunk as Sesshomaru passed. The demon paused and sniffed the air. " Hmm. Strange. I didn't know there were badgers around here." He mumbled. He shrugged and continued on. Naraku chuckled low and crept to the back of Kaede's cabin. He carefully raised himself to the window and peered inside. He could see the young priestess, Kagome and Sesshomaru's companion, Saeka within. He could also see the old priestess, Kaede. He figured it was time to let the two priestesses know his plan. He rapped on the window and ducked out of sight. Saeka and Kagome glanced up.

" What was that?" Kagome asked. Kaede got up and went over to the window. She peeked out and her eyes widened when she saw who was sitting outside, staring in at her.

" Oh." She said. She turned to Kagome. " Uh, Kagome, would ye mind coming with me for but a moment?" she asked.

" Of course not." She replied. She got up and followed Kaede as she led her outside, around the cabin. Kaede looked around. He was nowhere to be seen, but a faint rustling in the bushes told her of his position.

" Where are we going?" Kagome asked.

" Shh. Kagome, ye must promise to keep thy head." Kaede said. Kagome hesitated briefly, but nodded. Kaede approached the bushes and stepped through them. Kagome followed closely. Out of sight of the cabin, Kaede sat down and Kagome followed suit.

" What now?" she asked.

" Wait a moment." Kaede said. She glanced around. " Ye may come out now. It's safe for the moment."

Kagome looked to the right as something made its way out of the bushes. She gasped sharply and almost screamed, but remembered her promise in time and held it in.

" N-N-Naraku!" she stammered. He glanced at her benignly and sat down.

" Good day, Lady Kaede." He said quietly. Kaede nodded her head and turned to the petrified Kagome. " Say hello." Kaede said. Kagome thawed from her shock and whirled to face her. " Lady Kaede, this is _Naraku!_ Remember, our greatest enemy?" she said, bordering on panic. Her glance snapped to Naraku, still quietly sitting several feet from them. " If you try anything, you'll be sorry." She warned. He bowed his head. " Good day, Lady Kagome." He said. Kagome blinked.

" Huh? Wait, aren't you Naraku?"

" Yes. I believe that's my name."

" What the heck are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be dead? If you try to take revenge on us, I'll kill you!"

" Relax. I am not here for anything of the sort. I want to help deal with the wolf tribe."

" Why the heck should we trust you?" Kagome said skeptically, struggling not to lose control. She had a feeling Kaede wouldn't like it if she alerted InuYasha or Sesshomaru. She wondered why they hadn't picked up his scent.

" Kagome, I don't expect you to believe me when I tell you this. I've changed. I'm not the same demon you knew eight years ago." He said quietly, almost sadly.

" You're lying."

" No. I swear I'm not. I no longer wish to exact my revenge. I wish to redeem myself for all I've done. I only want one thing in the world now. And in order to gain any chance to fulfill this one wish, I have to first gain the trust of you and the others."

" What do you want?"

Naraku looked up at her, and she was deeply surprised to see that for once, his eyes were filled with what seemed to be sadness, or a longing for something virtually out of reach.

" Lady Kagome, I'm sure you are familiar with Sesshomaru's daughter."

" Yes."

" It's her. Saaya. I love her. For the past several days, she's come to see me and help me recover. She's taken risks to see me, and now I want to risk everything to save her."

Kagome was utterly shocked. " You want to save her? From what?"

" The wolf demon tribe has pretended to ally with InuYasha and Sesshomaru. They're going to storm the village and take Saaya. She won't obey me and leave the area, she'll return for sure. I refuse to let her be taken."

Kagome, still skeptical, looked to Kaede.

" Aye, child. He speaks the truth." She said. " It would seem that Saaya has had a drastic impact on him."

" I don't know. Even if you could convince me, there's no way you'd convince InuYasha or Sesshomaru."

" I'd try." He said. " Please, I wish for your forgiveness as well, for everything I've done to you and your friends."

Kagome was stunned. " You're actually apologizing?" she said. He nodded.

" Yes. I despise what I once was. I've been offered another chance. A chance to prove myself."

Kagome hummed. " You're starting to convince me. If you're telling the truth, I suppose I'll have to let you try to redeem yourself. That's if you really do love Saaya and are not trying to kill her."

" Lady Kagome, if I was going to kill her, I'd have done so long, long ago. When I took her, I had been planning to absorb her into my body to become stronger. I almost did, once." He murmured. He looked away. " But now, I love her, and I want to save her if I can. Even at the cost of my own life, so long as she stayed safe, that's what counts."

Kagome smiled a very small smile. " You know what, Naraku?"

He looked at her.

" I think you're telling the truth."

Naraku smiled.

Over at the tree, Kisho gave one final tug and snapped the ropes binding him. Completely furious, he turned and took off toward the woods to rendezvous with the wolf tribe. He wanted revenge and he wanted it now.

" I have a feeling that I can get them what they want." He mumbled. He chuckled menacingly. " Saeka, your days are numbered."

A/N: I'm sorry, I kill Mononoke. I truly am sorry. GOMENSAI!!!! I'm just really sad now because I finished this book and it's so sad!!! Why, you ask? Keep on reading, keep on reading, keep on reading, reading, reading!!! Hehe.


	11. Kaze no Kizu

_Kaze no Kizu _

Saaya returned to the grove where Naraku had been. Her heart couldn't take it to be away from him, so she had come back.

As she made her way toward the village, she heard voices erupting outward that sounded a lot like Koga's and InuYasha's. Her heart pounding, she raced forward and burst out of the trees in time to see Koga dodge the Tetsuaiga in InuYasha's hand and knock the sword from his grasp. It flew through the air and landed right in the lake, where it started to sink. InuYasha yelled in fury and slashed at the wolf.

Saaya furrowed her brow and dashed toward the water.

Koga turned at that moment and spied her. His face pulled back in a triumphant sneer and he abandoned InuYasha to run after Saaya.

Saaya, oblivious of him, jumped up and dove headfirst into the lake, after the Tetsuaiga. Saeka had taught her to swim very well. She was able to catch up to the Tetsuaiga before it hit the bottom almost twenty feet down where she had dove in. She fastened the strap around her shoulders and shot back up to the surface. She could see a dark shadow above her and figured it to be her uncle, expectant to have his beloved sword back.

When she burst out of the water, she screamed hoarsely as she saw not InuYasha, but Koga. He lashed out to grab her, but she swung the sword at him while still in its sheath, smacking him in the nose. He stumbled back and she scrambled out into the deeper water, praying fervently that he couldn't swim. When she chanced a look back, she saw that he was telling his wolves something and pointing to her. She panicked when she realized that he was sending his wolves in after her. She simply paddled faster, weighted down slightly by the Tetsuaiga. This was the one time in her life where her grandfather's sword was failing her.

She heard the splashing of the wolves as they swam after her and she veered to the left toward shore. She was greatly dismayed to see that Koga was starting toward that spot as well, ready to catch her when she landed.

Knowing she had no other choice, she took a deep breath and dove far beneath the water, swimming to the right where even the wolves couldn't see her in the murky depths. She heard the echoes of their voices in the water and kicked her feet faster. In order to gain speed, she kicked off her boots and let them sink to the bottom. Now, she was going twice as fast, aided by both her ability to swim and the demonic strength inherited from her parents.

Finally, just when her air was about to run out, she bumped into the drop-off slope and pushed off the bottom toward the top. Pushing the sword against the curve of her body to provide as little friction as possible, she kicked with all her might to reach the surface. She'd actually gone the full twenty feet down and never felt a thing. She must have only been inches from the bottom and was thankful she hadn't noticed because if she had, she would have panicked at the depth and started scrambling to get back up.

At last, Saaya broke the surface and veered toward shore. She gasped when she saw Koga coming toward her, a horrible grin on his face. He'd anticipated this. She frowned and jumped from the water onto the ground, never halting to catch her breath, determined to escape from him. She heard him behind her and knew that if she could just make it to the cover of the forest, she'd be safe. She had yet one more option, but she had no idea how to pull it off. She'd use it if the time came. She knew how InuYasha usually did it, but she wasn't sure if she was the same as he was.

She was only a few feet away from the cover of the trees when she felt a heavy blow to her back and found herself sprawling on the hard ground, Koga holding her down to keep her still. She struggled furiously and snarled at him, but he only chuckled.

" It was a valiant effort, mutt, but not nearly enough to escape me." He said. Saaya growled at him and pulled one of her hands free, slashing viciously at his face with her claws. He yelled and leapt back and she jumped a few feet away and whipped the blade from the sheath, desperation sinking in where calm usually resided. Koga stared at her bewilderedly. He suddenly started laughing hysterically. " You really think you have what it takes to wield that sword? I've seen ole' mutt-face at it and you've got no hope!" he yelled. Saaya sighed heavily and closed her eyes halfway, the way she'd seen InuYasha do it.

_Please,_ she thought to the blade. _Please, Tetsuaiga. Protect me this once, so that I may protect the village._

Suddenly, Koga's laughing stopped abruptly. " What the—" he exclaimed. Saaya opened her eyes. Tetsuaiga was pulsing in her hands and she stared at it in wonder. " Huh? Tetsuaiga? Are you…going to help?" she whispered. A bright white light erupted from the blade and both demons shut their eyes against it. When Saaya opened her eyes again, she gasped. The blade was fully transformed in her hands, like she'd seen it when InuYasha wielded it. She smiled and silently thanked the sword. She'd gotten it to become useful, now she just needed the attack. She concentrated her energies forward and remembered her uncle's words, to search for the swirling demonic winds. She knew she had to hit where the two winds combined if she wanted the wind scar. But she wasn't sure she could pull this off.

" That's it! I've had enough!" Koga yelled. He charged forward.

" Please Tetsuaiga!" Saaya cried.

Suddenly, in front of her eyes, Koga began to become misty and gradually disappear as what looked like a whirlwind swept up. But she knew it was no whirlwind. She smiled.

" There!" she cried. She pulled the sword up over her head.

" _Wind Scar!"_ she cried, not completely believing what she was really doing, but knowing somewhere that it was happening. She felt the energies explode out of her hands into the hilt, traveling into the blade as they erupted outward, tearing across the ground toward the wolf.

" W-What! No!" Koga cried in alarm. He yelled and covered his face as the blast struck him.

" What the hell was that?" InuYasha yelled as he knocked away one of the wolves.

" Wasn't that the Wind Scar?" Sesshomaru said, looking out over the ground to the shore opposite theirs. InuYasha's eyes widened.

" It couldn't be. Unless—"

He gasped and cut off mid sentence, dashing across he ground toward where it had come from. Sesshomaru hurried after him.

Reaching the section of ground where they'd seen it, InuYasha halted and stared. " Damn!" he exclaimed. Sesshomaru came up behind him and his eyes went wide when he saw what happened.

It had been the Wind Scar all right. The ground was cracked and broken and the trees in the immediate area were torn and ripped up. Koga was flat on his stomach on the ground, eyes open and whimpering. He'd just barely been missed, but not so much that his tail hadn't been badly singed.

At the end of this path of destruction, crouched the maker of the attack. Hunched over on the ground using the sword as a support, Saaya sat panting and barely able to move. InuYasha and Sesshomaru ran over to her.

" Saaya! What the hell did you do?" InuYasha yelled. She glanced up painfully. " I got your sword back." She said hoarsely.

" Saaya, did you actually summon the Wind Scar?" Sesshomaru inquired, bewildered.

" I-I think s-so." She whispered, trying to stand. She fell back down with a moan of pain. " I was getting desperate. I had to do something. I don't know how I did it, though." She said, looking away. InuYasha snatched the sword from her, causing her to fall over. " Idiot, you shouldn't have done that! You could have killed yourself!" he snapped.

" InuYasha, do you have any idea what she's done?" Sesshomaru snarled.

" No."

" She's just done what took you months to perfect. She's done the Wind Scar perfectly and on her first try!"

InuYasha just turned and started back toward the village. Sesshomaru looked down at Saaya with a somewhat, proud, yet saddened look on his usually stoic face. His daughter had done what he could never hope to do. She had used the Tetsuaiga and it hadn't rejected her.

She had officially become as powerful, if not more so, as him.

He bent down and gently shook her. She was unconscious. The blast from the attack had weakened her as well. He carefully picked her up and turned to the village. He walked right past the body of the wolf demon as Koga picked himself up shakily. Sesshomaru paused.

" Wolf." He said. Koga turned slightly. " W-What."

" You should be thankful that that Wind Scar was the first one my daughter has ever produced. It was off-target and missed you. If it had hit you, you would have been sliced apart. I'd suggest you leave here and never return, should I allow her to practice such a move in the future."

Koga stood up and glared at his retreating back. But he said nothing.

" I don't give up that easily, mutt. I tend to ignore my luck."

He turned and ran off into the trees.

A/N: Something tells me this chapter might be somewhat cliché. But even so, I was feeling random as I wrote this while sitting on a countertop at the Laundromat. Just before we got kicked out. Please don't make me go into that, let's just say there was a LOT of water. As for the chapter, I hope it's good and believable. The next chapter, I'll update tomorrow. But let me warn you, the next one is a tad violent. And it is sort of disturbing. Oh well. Oyasumi!


	12. Quelling Bloodlust

Quelling Bloodlust

" She _what_?" Saeka exclaimed when Sesshomaru told her what happened. He nodded. " She produced the Wind Scar." He explained. " It was almost perfect. There was only her aim to consider."

Saeka looked down at their daughter, buried beneath a thick cover and a wet rag across her forehead. " I just don't believe it. But, how'd she end up injured if she conjured the attack?"

" It was her first try and she isn't fully capable of wielding the Tetsuaiga. The blast mirrored back and struck her as well." Sesshomaru said. Over in the corner, InuYasha made a noise of contempt. Sesshomaru turned irritably.

" What is it now, InuYasha?"

" She shouldn't have been using the Tetsuaiga at all." InuYasha snapped.

" InuYasha, she retrieved the Tetsuaiga from the lake and happened to have it with her when the wolf leader attacked. Besides, you're only angry because someone other than yourself is capable of producing the Wind Scar."

" That's not true." InuYasha said defensively. " I don't care that she can produce the Wind Scar, it's just—"

" Just what?" Sesshomaru prodded. InuYasha grumbled and looked to the side. Sesshomaru chuckled dryly. " I knew it."

InuYasha suddenly snarled and charged at him, his claws bared. Sesshomaru, always ready, parried his attack and flung him against the wall. InuYasha leapt back up and prepared to attack again.

" Sesshomaru! InuYasha! Stop!" Saeka cried. She screamed as InuYasha tore past her, grazing her with his claws, which only seemed to anger Sesshomaru more. Kaede and Kagome both backed up against the window, watching wide-eyed. Kagome pulled Sakura close to her body and turned her head from the battle in case it should get bloody.

The only positive thing was that both demons were keeping their powers under control, but everyone sans Sakura and Saaya could see that that wouldn't last long.

Finally, Saeka leapt from her spot on the floor between them as they came at each other again. She seized InuYasha's throat and thrust her arm up as Sesshomaru's claws appeared. Instead of tearing into his brother's neck, they sank into the flesh of her arm, drawing blood. He gasped slightly and looked up at her in surprise. Saeka was keeping a stone calm face. " Both of you. Knock it off! You're both acting like children! This is no time to be fighting. We have the wolf demon tribe after Saaya. We have Naraku wandering around some place. We're in a tiny enclosed space and in danger if you keep it up and we have a young child in the room to whom your fight would have a negative effect. If you wish to settle your grievances, take it outside!" Saeka snapped. Sesshomaru saw her tremble slightly in an attempt to keep calm and not react to his claws in her arm. She released a choking InuYasha and pulled Sesshomaru's claws from her arm without a single bat of the eye. Clutching her bleeding arm, she made her way over to Saaya and sat down, gazing at her daughter as she slept.

Sesshomaru stared at his hand in horror. His hand had little lines of Saeka's blood running down it. This sight of it both excited him to kill and horrified him that he'd injured his companion. He shuddered and backed up a few feet. Saeka turned around. " Sesshomaru? What's wrong?" she asked. His eyes had gone horribly stony. She stood up. " Are you okay?" she asked. She glanced down at Saaya. The girl was still unconscious. She looked back at Sesshomaru. The hand with her blood on it was shaking visibly. He was flexing his claws in and out menacingly. Gasping, she whirled to Kagome and Kaede. " Get out of here! He's dangerous!" she cried. She hurried forward and shoved him backward so that they could run out. InuYasha tried to stay behind and fight, but Kagome grabbed him and yanked him out.

" What'd you do that for?" he demanded.

" Saeka knows what she's doing. The sight of blood so near and from her is confusing him." Kaede explained. " This happens to all demons from time to time. The minute they see or smell blood during times of great stress causes them to desire it. I'm sure it's happened to thee, InuYasha, on occasion. Even Sesshomaru is no exception. It's best if we let her figure this out."

" But what about Saaya?" Kagome asked worriedly, clutching Sakura to her. InuYasha came over and pulled Kagome close.

" Saeka won't let any harm come to the girl." Kaede said. She'll do whatever it takes to protect Saaya."

" But why would Sesshomaru hurt his own daughter?" InuYasha asked. He couldn't fathom attacking Sakura, at least not until she was much older, and when he was only training her.

" He wouldn't, normally. His demon self might." Kaede said. " Come. We best get away from here."

" You said that sometimes, the sight of blood causes a need for it among demons occasionally." Kagome said, a waver in her voice. " Does that mean he'll—"

" He might." Kaede said gravely. Kagome glanced at InuYasha and gulped.

" Please be careful, Saeka." She whispered.

" Sesshomaru, listen to me!" Saeka said, holding her hands in front of her defensively. She glanced at Saaya again. She was still out cold and didn't show signs of waking up anytime soon. She faced him again. He was crouched on the floor, eyes completely red and blank. He was growling at her and reminding her a lot of some possessed people she'd worked with so long ago. She knew that in cases like this, the possessed ones could often sense fear like an animal does. Figuring that it worked the same with him, she banished all traces of fear from her mind. He straightened a little, unsheathing his claws threateningly. She knew what was going on. The sight of her blood had caused him to want to kill, or at least find more. She knew that this happened to all demons occasionally, which was why they often slaughtered whole towns for no apparent reason. She figured Sesshomaru was no exception, though she had thought it would be easier for him to quell. The recent battle, strain from the wolf tribe pressures and the knowledge of Naraku being alive because of him must have weakened him. Now, he was after one thing, and one thing alone.

Her blood.

Saeka knew that he couldn't kill her. Even his demonic nature wasn't strong enough for that. But he could seriously hurt her if he wanted to. And right now, it seemed as though he wanted to. She backed up a step, hands still out protectively, her barrier melting and revealing fear within. She started to shake, knowing there was no way she could effectively fight him off if he attacked her. She was also worried for Saaya. If when he finished with her, he could still want to kill and turn to Saaya in her weakened state. Saeka growled to herself. She wouldn't let that happen. After what had become of Miharu, Saeka was more protective of her child than ever before.

Suddenly, she dashed to the right and snatched the kettle from the hearth, flinging it at him. He knocked it away and snarled at her. She grabbed Saaya, ran to the door and flung her unconscious daughter out, slamming it afterward and bolting it so no one would burst in and risk being gutted. Then, she turned and braced to fight.

" Look!" Kagome cried. " It's Saaya! Saeka got her out!"

They ran back and grabbed Saaya, dragging her away from the hut. They could hear Sesshomaru growling inside, possibly trying to attack Saeka. They got Saaya over to the lakeshore and waited anxiously.

" I hope she's okay." Kagome murmured.

" Sesshy?" Sakura piped up. Kagome smiled weakly, making it look more like a lop-sided smirk. " No, he's…uh, incapacitated right now. He can't come." She said. Sakura shrugged and jumped into the water, fully clothed.

" InuYasha, will she be all right?" Kagome whispered. InuYasha knelt beside her and put his arm around her shoulders. " She'll be fine, Kagome. If anyone can handle Sesshomaru when he's like this, it's Saeka."

Kagome seemed reassured, but as InuYasha glanced back toward the cabin, he wished that he could believe his own words.

Sesshomaru took a swipe at her and she ducked and rolled out of the way. He charged after her and snatched a portion of her hair, yanking her back sharply. Saeka cried out and slashed at him, struggling to free herself.

_To think this all started because I intervened in their fight, _she thought bitterly. She fell to the floor as he released her hair and rubbed her scalp painfully. She gasped as he brought his claws down at her again, barely missing her as she jumped out of the way.

" Sesshomaru, please! Listen to me!" she cried. " You have to stop! It'll just get worse!"

He glared at her, eyes blank of all emotion, red to the core. He turned and slowly approached. Saeka backed up away from him until she tripped over something and fell down again. She stared up in terror as he came closer, flexing his claws in anticipation.

For a short while, they just stared at each other. Saeka willed for him to return to normal. He didn't move.

Then, with a horrible growl, he lunged forward, his claws out. She had no time to react as he sliced through her shoulder. She yelled and tried to get away. He grasped her neck and pinned her down, the tips of his claws puncturing her skin. She could see that the sight of her blood was only making it that much worse.

" Sesshomaru." She gasped. " Listen to me. It's me, Saeka! Don't do this! You'll end up only killing me!"

As an answer, he pulled his hand back and slashed at her again, opening a large gash just above her collarbone. She gasped sharply and struggled more weakly to escape. She managed to free her arms a little and worked from there.

But as he pulled his hand back once more, she knew that this time, he'd reach her heart. Then, she'd have no hope. She lifted herself up a little and sank her teeth into his arm holding her down. He yelled in anger and flung her away. She scrambled to her feet and dashed to the other side of the room. He got up slowly and started toward her, the bloodlust obvious in his eyes.

Saeka felt herself becoming horribly weak from her wounds, though they weren't fatal. She was growing dizzy and for a moment, the line between reality and the dream world blurred for her. But she shook the scary moment away and watched as he stopped for a moment. He flicked her blood from his hand and continued. She backed up against the wall as far as she could go and shut her eyes as he grasped her neck and shoved her hard against the wood surface, applying pressure to hold her still. Saeka whimpered slightly.

Then, it came to her. The time when her nightmares had woken her and her scars had been burning her, how he'd taken her down to the lake and poured soothing cold water over them. She recalled how those scars always made him so angry and brought on a passionate desire to protect her. She took a deep breath and rolled up her sleeves, just as he was preparing to tear his claws through her skin again. She raised her right arm, revealing the worst of the scars for him to see. He paused a moment. He blinked and for a moment, his eyes reverted back to normal. Then, they returned to red, but only for a few more seconds. Finally, they remained gold and he lowered her to the floor. " The burn scars." He muttered. He shook his head. " Saeka." He said so quietly, she could barely hear him. He looked at her and his eyes went wide. " Saeka, what happened to you?" he exclaimed. Saeka was becoming weaker and weaker so that she could barely stand. Sesshomaru suddenly grew grim. " I did that. Didn't I?" he mumbled. Saeka nodded, struggling to force back the tears filling her eyes. He didn't remember that he'd almost killed her.

" Saeka, what happened to me?"

Saeka looked up at him, her eyes dull. " It's fine. What matters is that you're back to normal." She said. He shook her gently. " No, that's not all that matters. Saeka, I almost killed you!"

" I'll be okay. Really." She said weakly. Her head drooped a little.

" Saeka. Please. I'm sorry." He whispered.

She glanced up at him and smiled thinly. " It's all right. I understand." She whispered. His eyes narrowed and he set her against the wall. He got up and made his way over to one of the wooden cabinets. He took out a wooden bowl and checked the fallen kettle for any remaining water. There was some in it. He poured that into the bowl, grabbed the rag Saeka had used for Saaya a little bit ago and made his way back over. Saeka was drifting in and out of consciousness as he submerged the rag into the water and raised it to the gash in her shoulder. She hissed when it touched her skin and squeezed her eyes shut. He carefully cleaned the wound and held the rag there, allowing the blood to start repairing her torn skin. " Saeka." He said. Her eyes opened a tad. " I truly am sorry for this."

" It's all right." She said so quietly, he had to strain to hear her. He hummed, took the rage from her shoulder, set it into the water again and then brought it up to the other gash above her collarbone.

Saeka stared at the ground blankly.

" Saeka. What happened to Saaya?" he asked. She brought her hand up and took the rag from him. " I threw her outside before you went out of control." She said. " I wasn't sure what you'd do."

He looked away. " I can't believe that I succumbed to that." He snarled under his breath. He got up and went to the door. He looked at her again. " Are you going to be all right?"

" Yeah. These will heal in a few hours. You didn't hit anything vital." She said. He sighed heavily and went outside, shutting the door behind him with a little more force than necessary. Saeka got to her feet and picked up the bowl. She averted her eyes from the reddish water and sighed. " Being with a demon sure keeps my life interesting." She mumbled. " Even without all of the adventure, there's never a single dull day."

She dumped the water out the window and threw the bowl after it, knowing that her blood had contaminated it beyond washing. It would only make others sick. She wrung out the rag and draped it over the sill, planning to wash it thoroughly later on. She then made her way to a small box in the corner where Kaede often kept her bandages that Kagome brought her. She made sure no one was looking in the window and pulled the outer cover of her kimono down so she could bandage her wounds. Her shoulder was easy, but it was more difficult with the gash above her collarbone.

After she finished, she pulled her kimono neck back up and fastened it. Then she put the bandages away and closed the box. She got up and opened the door, stepping out and heading toward the lake.

When Kagome saw her, she gasped, jumped up and threw her arms around the healer. " Saeka! Are you okay? We were all so worried about you!" she cried. She noticed the bandages beneath the fabric of the kimono and stared at her. " He hurt you?" she said, bewildered.

" Not seriously. I managed to calm his rage before it got out of hand." She said. She sighed and shrugged. " He must really be under a lot of stress. I've never known him to lose control like that before."

" Ye are lucky ye were able to calm him, Saeka. He could easily have killed thee." Kaede said, coming up beside them. " Sesshomaru can be quite destructive when he chooses. But ye are quite right, I've never heard of him succumbing to such a severe case of bloodlust like that."

" Me neither, and I've known him longer than any of you." InuYasha said concernedly. " This isn't like him."

As they were speaking, Sesshomaru himself appeared by the cabin, glanced around and then wandered off into the forest. They watched him go silently, hoping that a slight word or comment wouldn't set off his rage again. Saeka sighed. " I'm worried about him. Where's Saaya?"

" We got her over here after you threw her out." Kagome said, gesturing to the unconscious girl. Sakura was sitting beside her cousin, staring at her curiously.

" Say-Say?" she asked, using the nickname she'd given her. Saaya didn't move. Sakura sighed unhappily. " Say-Say dead." She whimpered.

" No, Sakura, Saaya isn't dead. She's er, asleep." Kagome said, not sure how to describe unconsciousness to a toddler. Sakura hummed and got up. She hurried around to the opposite shore of the lake, but still within range of Kagome's careful sight.

Kagome sighed heavily. Things were starting to look bleak. Naraku was closer than any of them thought and Sesshomaru was starting to regress again, but taking it out on his own companion this time, rather than the village. She couldn't fathom the amount of courage and strength Saeka possessed to allow him to do such a thing and still be able to forgive him. Saeka must really love Sesshomaru.

She stared up at the sky and closed her eyes.

Naraku hid in the trees, watching the group gather around the lake with Saaya, seemingly unconscious. He wondered what had happened. He wanted so badly to go over and see if she was all right, or even still alive, but only Kagome and Kaede knew where he was and he was taking a risk being so near as it is. _Heck_, he thought. _I'm taking a risk by allowing Kagome knowledge that I'm alive._

He sighed and leaned against the tree bark. He'd heard the commotion inside the cabin and figured that something bad was happening. So when Sesshomaru came out with blood on his claws and Saeka appeared a few minutes later with two large bandages on her upper torso, he just put two and two together and figured they'd had another fight. He sighed again and looked over to the lake placidly. He wished that he could see Saaya, but he'd find himself dead on the spot before he, Kaede or Kagome could explain the situation to InuYasha, Saeka and Sesshomaru.

" Saaya. Don't you dare die on me." He whispered into the wind.

It was going to be a long wait.

A/N: Sorry about the violence here. After all, everyone gets stressed and Sess is no exception. I had a hard time writing this chapter, though. And beware everyone! Otulia had left Kinkatia and she's taken the brick with her! Kinkatia is now using a disgruntled cat as her weapon! BEWARE DISGRUNTLED CATS!!!!


	13. Something Isn't Right

Something Isn't Right

Kisho panted hard as he climbed over a toppled tree and sighed. It was hot, he was overheated and he knew he had to get away before that demon found that he was missing. He'd seen what had happened to Saeka though. He knew all about demon bloodlust. He had figured that it would happen to the demon lord at some point. He could never remember his name.

Kisho groaned and slid to the ground, exhausted. He had a plan in mind, but carrying it out would be difficult. All he had to do was find the wolf tribe.

That was all he had to do.

Sesshomaru flung the light whips at the tree trunk, striking it dead center and severing it from connection to the ground. It started to wobble. He dashed forward and struck it again and again until finally, it toppled and crashed to the earth, scattering birds and small animals in its wake. Sesshomaru knelt on the ground facing away from it and sighed heavily. Killing trees wasn't helping. He was furious with himself for hurting Saeka so badly. He wasn't sure what had come over him that was so powerful as to make him develop a need for blood. He couldn't remember ever doing anything like that before. Not once in his whole life. For as long as he could remember, he had always strived to keep control over his emotions. He knew that at some point, he'd overdone it, but he didn't care.

He got to his feet and turned to look at the tree he'd felled. The sight of it saddened him somehow, which was odd and somewhat disturbing. But he brushed it off and turned around.

" Saeka will never forgive me." He said quietly. He looked up at the sky through the trees. He shook his head and sighed again.

" Now what do I do?" he murmured.

Saaya moaned in her sleep and opened her eyes slowly. She sat up and looked around blearily. She was back by the lakeshore. She could see Kagome and Sakura in the water again and InuYasha sitting nearby, eyes half closed, dozing. Close to them, her mother sat weaving some river reeds together to make a grass mat. Kaede was seated beside her listening as she told her a story. Saaya blinked and got up stiffly, making her way over to them. Saeka looked up and beamed at her.

" Well, you look well-rested." She complimented.

" Mom? What happened? I feel as though I've sleeping for weeks." Saaya said, sitting down beside her.

" You summoned the Wind Scar, Saaya." Saeka explained. " That was no easy feat and it knocked you out."

" I summoned the Wind Scar?" Saaya said, stunned. " How? I can't possibly hold enough power to bring on an attack like that."

" Feh," InuYasha snapped. " That's what I said. But did anyone believe me? NO!"

Saeka rolled her eyes. " Ignore him. He's just jealous." She said under her breath. She set the grass mat down and looked at her daughter. " Honey, fix your ponytail, it's loose." She said. Saaya sighed and pulled the tie out, working to get her hair back in place within it. As she did so, she glanced at her mother and noticed the bulges under her kimono where the bandages were. Her eyes widened in shock and she raised her eyes to her mother, sitting peacefully in the grass.

" Mom? What happened to you?" she asked. Saeka faltered in her weaving and snapped the thread of grass in her hand. " Oh, uh, nothing, Saaya." She said shakily. " Nothing at all."

" Mom, you have bandages on you arm. What happened to you?" Saaya persisted. Saeka shook her head pleasantly. Saaya met Kaede's eye and the old woman mouthed, 'later'. Saaya sighed and turned to the water.

Naraku felt a delighted smile creep onto his face. Saaya was awake and alive. He sighed deeply, relieved and closed his eyes. He knew that she would visit him soon. He would finally be able to count the hours in peace. With that comforting thought in mind, he turned, leapt off the tree and darted off to his spot beneath the oak.

Sesshomaru halted abruptly. He'd seen something rushing through the forest close to the lakeshore, toward the village. His eyes narrowed dangerously and, turning from Saeka and the others, he changed course due northward. He scanned the forested horizon carefully.

" Something's there." He murmured. He proceeded more cautiously now, remembering his incident at Malsshinyor with the hidden mines. He certainly didn't want to go through that again.

He turned this way and that, checking every nook, every cranny, every bush, and every hollow. Nothing. As far as he could see, nothing. He sighed. His life was getting too complicated and he knew that his staying in the human village had dulled many of his sharp senses. He remembered his visions of constructing an empire. But he knew that sadly, those dreams could never be made reality this late in the game. Meeting Saeka had turned his life upside down and back. In fact, she'd turned the lives of everyone upside down. If they hadn't met her, none of the things that had happened to them in the past eight years would ever have happened. Rin would never have been taken and changed, Sesshomaru probably would have died from the illness that had been plaguing him, Miharu and Saaya would never have existed, and so much more with greater links to each event than he cared to think about. This whole web of fate they'd designed branched out from Saeka herself. He couldn't begin to imagine a life without her. She meant so much to him and he'd hurt her so much in the past, both physically and emotionally. All of a sudden, he paused in his search for whatever he'd seen and stared ahead, a curious look on his usually stoic face. It just occurred to him. Saeka was taken for granted. On this day, he'd almost killed her yet again because of a pathetic mood all demons went through in time of stress or anxiety. He had succumbed to this horrid need for blood and turned on Saeka. In the end, she'd managed to calm him down, but he'd still injured her gravely. He raised his hand and stared down at the claws that had damaged her so. He flexed them in and out thoughtfully and hummed. He sighed and turned in the direction of the lake, his original hunt for the thing in the forest banished from his complex thoughts altogether. Without a glance back, he started forward.

It was time he talked with Saeka.

Naraku heaved a sigh of relief and nearly fell out of the tree he was sitting in. He scrambled for balance and sighed once again. He made a face of frustration and groaned. " Ugh. That was way too close!" he said. " That demon almost found me! If he'd actually continued his search and happened to look up, I'd have been done for! Gotta be more careful on the rebound." He muttered. He jumped down out of the tree and kept going, trying to put as much distance between himself and Sesshomaru and the others.

By the time he'd reached the tree, he was exhausted. He collapsed at its base and closed his eyes wearily. It was going to be a long day.

They all looked up as the demon approached, his eyes focused on the ground before him. Kagome, standing waist-deep in the water with Sakura spinning her floatie in wobbly circles, looked up curiously. Something felt different all of a sudden and even whirling-top Sakura seemed to sense it as she tried in vain to slow herself down. InuYasha perked up and leapt to his feet. He sensed it too. And he didn't like it much.

Saaya got up and moved away, toward the cabin. She could tell that something big was going to happen and she had a feeling she'd better go to Naraku before someone, or something else did.

Saeka and Kaede both watched as Sesshomaru knelt down a couple of feet away and looked at Saeka curiously.

" What is it?" she asked. He blinked and looked toward the opposite shore of the lake, a faraway look in his eyes, which was unusual. He turned back around and met her gaze. " Saeka, would you come with me?" he asked. Saeka appeared startled and unprepared, but she set her grass mat down and got to her feet. Sesshomaru straightened and started back off the way he'd come, Saeka following at his side. She glanced back at them once and then faced around.

They watched as they disappeared into the trees and then Kagome waded out of the water, wrapping her towel around herself. " What was that all about?" she asked quizzically. " That was so weird, I was sure I could sense a bad vibe coming from him." She sat down beside Kaede. Kaede tapped her chin and hummed. " I believe that something is different about Sesshomaru." She said. " It would seem that he feels something along the lines of remorse for what happened to Saeka."

Kagome looked over at InuYasha who shrugged. She looked back at Kaede. " What do you think this could mean?" she asked.

" I haven't the faintest."

Saaya pushed through the bushes and found him staring up into the canopy, a thoughtful glaze in his eyes. He didn't even notice when she sat down beside him. It was only when she shook him lightly that he noticed her presence. He stared at her bewilderedly and smiled. " Well, I see you're feeling better." He stated.

" You knew I was down?" she asked.

" Yes. I was hiding in the forest cover while you recovered. What did you do, exactly?"

" I summoned the Wind Scar on accident."

His eyes went wide. He bolted up. " You what?"

" InuYasha's sword was thrown into the water. I went after it and Koga followed me. Eventually, I was forced to draw it and I somehow got the sword to produce that attack."

Naraku seemed shocked and he shook his head. " That's amazing! I can hardly wait to see that eventually."

Saaya looked down, embarrassed. She still didn't take compliments well. He rolled his eyes and sighed. " Saaya, if we're going to spend the rest of our lives together, you have to learn to accept compliments." He said. Saaya blew her hair from her face and looked at him. " I know, it's just not in my nature." She said.

" Well, better learn to make it your nature. You're going to be getting a lot more in the future." He shifted positions.

" Well, I'll try." She murmured. She looked up into the treetops and sighed.

" Sesshomaru, why did you pull me away from everyone?" Saeka asked him. She'd asked him two times now, but he seemed deep in thought and didn't answer until now. He glanced at her. " Saeka, I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to apologize for what I did." He said quietly. He couldn't look her in the eye. Things like this were still hard for him. Saeka sighed. " Sesshomaru, it isn't your fault. Even you get stressed occasionally."

" That was no excuse for my actions." He said darkly. " I almost killed you Saeka—again."

" But we weren't arguing like last time. This time, I was only trying to help you as best as I could."

She touched his arm lightly and he gazed down at her blankly.

" Saeka, why do you even stay with me? You could have done so much more with your life after you left me when we first met."

" And I was planning to. But remember, you were the one who came looking for me. I didn't originally want to go with you. I seem to recall you forcing me to come." She said playfully.

" Saeka, you can't die again. If you do, I'll lose you forever. Tenseiga won't revive you a third time. I was lucky it revived you a second time."

Saeka leaned against his shoulder and closed her eyes. " Sesshomaru, you worry too much about stupid things."

" Since when are you stupid?"

Saeka made a face and looked up at him. " Very funny. You know what I mean." She said. " Sesshomaru, give my demonic powers some credit. I'm much stronger than I was." She said. " I want you to understand that."

Sesshomaru looked toward the trees all around them. She was right. He didn't give her enough credit because he worried about her. Saeka had given him a chance to change and he had taken it. Now, because of it, he loved her more than anything. He couldn't bear the thought of losing her after all of this. He sighed.

" Let's keep going." He said. He started forward. Saeka took his hand in her own, surprising him.

" I'll never leave." She promised.

Koga lay on the ground, groaning from his injuries. Ayame sat nearby mixing herbs for a healing balm to bring the pain down. He'd been badly hurt in his brush with death back at the village. She glanced at him and sighed. " How are you feeling?"

" Terrible. That little mutt-girl. I'll fix her good next time! Ouch!" he had tried to sit up and hurt something. Ayame gently pushed him back down and applied some of the gluey herbs to his wounds. He hissed, but didn't make any other sounds.

As she was working, she heard something in the forest and leapt up between her companion and whatever was coming their way. But she stopped when she saw the blond haired boy step out and stare at them defiantly. " Who are you?" Ayame asked.

" I'm Kisho. You may not know me." He replied. He grinned wickedly. " I came to help."

Kagome and InuYasha were up late that night, discussing the weird events happening all around them, such as Saaya's sudden happy mood, Sesshomaru's episode earlier and Saeka's depression. To Kagome, it seemed as though Sesshomaru and Saeka were both having a midlife crisis. InuYasha, to her surprise, knew what that meant, but he said he doubted it. He wasn't sure about Saeka, but he knew for a fact that Sesshomaru was still growing. Neither of them was old enough for that, yet.

" Demons live a long time," he explained. " Sometimes for a thousand or so years, though the typical limit is like in the seven or eight hundreds. Sesshomaru is only three hundred and eighteen and Saeka is only in her eighties or nineties."

" Yeah, I guess you're right." Kagome said reluctantly. She wanted to see them return to their previous selves. But something weird was going on and she had a feeling it had something to do with Naraku.

Suddenly, it hit her. She gasped. InuYasha noticed this. " What's the matter, Kagome?" he asked. She shook the fear from her eyes and smiled. "Uh, nothing at all, InuYasha. I just remembered I left my lamp on at home. Mom will probably turn it off for me, though, so it's no big deal." She said, waving it away. He appeared skeptical, but seemed to buy it. Kagome sighed and looked away. She knew what was going on.

And she didn't like it.

Kaede stood outside, listening to the wind. She sighed. " I wonder where Saeka and Sesshomaru have gotten to." She mumbled. " It isn't like them to be so late. They've been gone for some time, now."

She turned and made her way back inside. She found InuYasha asleep, but Kagome still awake and holding a sleeping Sakura in her arms. She glanced up at Kaede. Her brown eyes were worn and tired from images given them that she should never have seen. Kaede knew that despite her love for her daughter and companion, Kagome often wished she'd never discovered her ability to travel through time, which had somehow stuck with her even after the jewel had been destroyed. Because Kagome hardly ever went back anymore, she'd lost touch with her friends and the boy who had had a serious crush on her. In fact, Hojo had completely moved on with his life, accepting the fact that Kagome had vanished forever and wasn't thinking of him as his delusional brain had tricked him into believing.

Kaede sat down a ways away. She recalled how Kagome had attempted to bring Sakura over into her own world. But apparently, whenever she entered the well, Sakura was suddenly wrenched from her mother's grasp and thrown back into the feudal era. They figured it was because the little girl had had no exposure to the sacred jewel beforehand and therefore, was unable to travel through time to see her grandmother, uncle and great-grandfather.

" Kagome." Kaede said. Kagome looked up at her with glazed eyes.

" Yes?" she asked, waking up slowly.

" Are ye feeling all right, child?"

Kagome hummed and looked at the floor. " Homesick." She murmured. Kaede nodded her head understandingly. " I see. Ye miss thy family?"

" Yes. Mom wanted to see Sakura, but there's no way I can bring her over to the other side. The sacred jewel is gone for good." She muttered dejectedly.

They both fell silent. Kagome sighed and leaned her head on the wall.

" Kagome," Kaede said suddenly. " Have ye by chance seen either Sesshomaru or Saeka? They've been gone a long time."

" No, I haven't. Maybe we should send InuYasha to look for them." Kagome suggested, much more awake now. InuYasha bolted upright. " Huh? What about me?" he demanded. Kagome glanced at him. " Your brother and Saeka have been gone for hours. Do you want to look for them?"

InuYasha sighed, but didn't get up. " Nah. I'm sure they're fine, wherever they are. Besides, you saw how Sesshomaru acted today after his little episode. I'm pretty sure he wants to be alone with her right now. Probably wants to make amends."

" I just worry about them. Even Sesshomaru isn't perfect, you know." Kagome mumbled.

As they were talking, the door suddenly opened and they looked to see a haggard-looking Saeka step inside and shut the door. Kagome's eyes widened. Her hair was slightly askew and hung over her eyes, obscuring them from view and she had some dirt on her kimono. She sat down on the floor and lay down carefully, falling into a deep sleep.

" What happened to her?" InuYasha asked quietly.

" I don't know." Kagome said. " I'll ask her when she wakes up."

They stared at her for some time, wondering.

A thin light shining through the window awakened Kagome and she moaned and groggily sat up, at once searching frantically for Sakura. She spied the toddler seated in her father's lap, resting her head against his chest, fast asleep. InuYasha was asleep too, his Tetsuaiga in his hand. Kagome smiled and yawned. She glanced over at the wall. Saeka wasn't there. Confused, Kagome got up and left the hut.

She shielded her eyes from the sun, even though it was still rising. It was quite early yet, about five o' clock she'd guess. She stretched her arms and glanced around for the healer.

" Saeka?" she called softly. A soft moan met her ears from her right and she started in that direction concernedly, for it sounded like Saeka.

" Saeka?" she called again, much softer than before.

"_ Kagome._" She whispered back weakly from the bushes. Kagome hurried forward and shoved the bushes aside. She gasped. Saeka was huddled on the ground, her eyes half-closed, her hair as ragged as the night before. She tried to sit up, but fell back down.

" Saeka! What happened?" Kagome exclaimed. Saeka smiled weakly. " I'm fine, I just don't feel the greatest." She murmured, trying again to get up. This time she succeeded. She leaned on her upraised knee heavily and sighed. " I think I have a bug or something." She whispered hoarsely.

" What do you mean?"

" My stomach was acting up rather badly." She said evasively. Kagome knew what she meant. " Oh. You…threw up?" she said tentatively. Saeka nodded grimly. " That's why I came out here. I don't want anyone to know."

" I see." Kagome said. But something was nagging at the back of her mind. She stood up. " Will you come inside?" she offered. Saeka declined and got to her feet shakily. " No, I'd better find Sesshomaru. He sort of wandered off after our walk last night." She said. Kagome thought she detected a strange tone in Saeka's voice, but she shrugged it off. " I hope it goes away soon." She said.

" I'm sure it's just a virus. Come to think of it, another child in the village had something similar recently. I might have caught it after being exposed. Even demons get sick, you know." She said with a chuckle. Kagome smiled weakly. " I suppose that makes sense. Just be careful, all right?"

" Right." Saeka said. She wandered off into the forest. Kagome sighed and returned to the cabin where she found Kaede up and about making tea. Kaede glanced up and smiled. " Good morning, Kagome. Did thee have a good sleep?"

" Yes, thank you. I went looking for Saeka. She says she caught a bug." Kagome said, kneeling down beside the hearth.

" What kind?"

" She says that it's something one of he children she healed had. She says she vomited a little bit."

" Oh." Kaede's tone was grave. " I hope it isn't serious."

" I don't think so. Since she isn't full human, it should pass over quickly." Kagome replied, taking some tea Kaede offered her. She sipped it slowly and sighed. " I'm sure she's fine." She said cheerfully.

But something didn't seem right.

Sesshomaru perched high up in the trees, scanning the area. He was tired he had to admit. He and Saeka had gone a little farther than usual. In fact, they'd spent most of the night outside. Now, he was convinced she'd forgiven him and he allowed himself to move on with his life.

One thing he didn't like, he didn't like the fact that he was losing many of his sharp senses. He desperately wanted to continue wandering, since being a nomad was in his blood. But he knew that Saeka should remain with the humans. They treated her respectfully, while only a few tolerated him. Sure, they didn't try to drive him away, which was useless or insult him or threaten his family, but he just didn't like them and he never would. He'd made the exception with Saeka, of course, what with her being a half-demon, but he often wondered if it was the right choice.

He sighed irritably. He knew that he wasn't going to last much longer this way. He had to keep moving. But he wouldn't let Saeka accompany him. She'd be safer here, in the village where she could be taken care of.

He'd made up his mind.

A/N: There's only one chapter after this, and then I'm starting the tenth book. It's either this one, or the one following it that'll be the last one. I'm trying to get writing inspiration from the fic, A Simple Legacy, parts one, two and three. They're very good, but I can NEVER remember the author's name. I HIGHLY recommend it. It's expertly written.


	14. Sesshomaru's Confession

Sesshomaru's Confession

As the days passed, Kagome became more worried for Saeka, who still wasn't improving. Each morning, she woke up sick and drowsy and each night, she was stiff and sore. It looked to Kagome like a flu of some sort, but Saeka refused any assistance. She said she wanted to get through it on her own.

For two days, Sesshomaru was missing and Saeka only got worse with worry for him. Finally, she was able to move about with Kagome's help. But she refused to eat anything, for fear she'd end up seeing whatever she ate again.

At last, Saeka declared she was well enough to search for her companion and she left the hut with the white wings she hadn't used in years. But when Kagome went out a little while later, she found the healer crumpled in a heap on the lakeshore, clutching her stomach and groaning. As she was getting Saeka back to the hut, the healer suddenly turned and vomited into the bushes, while Kagome, reacting quickly, held her hair back and looked away politely.

Saeka sat down and moaned wearily. " This is some bug. I've never felt so horrible." She muttered. Kagome knelt down beside her. " Saeka, are you sure this is a bug?" she asked quietly. Saeka looked at her strangely. " Yes. Why?"

" Tell me, when do you feel sick to your stomach?"

" Usually early, early morning, and sometimes around noon." Saeka replied. Kagome furrowed her brow. " How long has it been this way?"

" A few days. Maybe, like four."

Kagome looked at the ground, hardly daring to believe it. Saeka didn't even know. She sighed and looked at the healer, a small smile on her face.

" I think I know what's wrong with you." She said.

" What?"

Kagome giggled and took her hand.

" Saeka, I think you may be pregnant."

Saaya arrived in the glade to find Naraku standing tall and proud, completely healed. He looked over at her and a smile crossed his face. She bounded forward and threw her arms around him delightedly. " You're okay!" she cried.

" I owe it all to you." He replied, setting her down and gazing tenderly into her eyes. " I never would have made it this far without you."

" I'm glad I was here, then." Saaya said.

" And now, I have a request."

" What?" she asked.

" I'd like to meet your family." He said gently.

Ayame scoffed. " How can you help us, half-breed?" she demanded.

" Well, at least someone knows me for what I am." Kisho grumbled. He turned to her. " I know some things about the demons you hate. InuYasha, Sesshomaru, Saeka. Them." He said, naming off their names. Koga raised his head wearily. " InuYasha? What about the little whelps?" he groaned, trying to sit up.

" I can help with them too. I happen to despise Saeka, so if you'll let me take care of her, I'll let you have the others to deal with as you see fit."

" Why do you hate Saeka?" Ayame inquired.

" Because, she killed my cousin ad destroyed my valley many years ago. I am the sole survivor of that region and I want to avenge my people and my family." Kisho thundered angrily.

Koga smirked. " I can understand that. I happen to have a grudge against someone who is hiding out there, by the village. That little whelp of Sesshomaru's tried in vain to hide the scent." He shakily got to his feet and glared to his right, baring his teeth angrily.

" I think I know where this figure is." Kisho said menacingly. " I can help you, if you'll do me one little favor."

Koga looked at Ayame and she shrugged. He glanced back at Kisho.

" Name it. What do you want?"

Kisho's eyes narrowed dangerously.

" Tetsuaiga."

" Oh my god!" Saeka exclaimed, back in the hut when Kagome told Kaede and InuYasha the news. InuYasha was stunned. " Is that why they were out so late?" he demanded.

" InuYasha, SIT!" Kagome bellowed.

_Thud!!!_

While InuYasha struggled to right himself, Kaede smiled and turned to Saeka. " Does Sesshomaru know?"

" No, I have to tell him. Maybe this time, he'll get a son. Where is he?" she asked. " I haven't seen him since…" she cut off from there. Kaede rubbed her chin thoughtfully. " He hasn't shown up. Whenever he disappears, he usually returns by now. It's been almost a week." She remarked.

InuYasha was about to say something when there was a knock at the door. Kaede went to answer it and found a woman to be standing there. It was the same woman Sesshomaru had entrusted Saeka's body with when Kanna and Kagura had stolen her soul. She held a scroll out to Kaede. " Here. I was supposed to give you this. It appeared on our doorstep and it's apparently from Lord Sesshomaru." She said, using his old title out of respect. Kaede took the scroll and thanked her. She shut the door and made her way over to Saeka. She handed the object to her.

" I wonder what it says." Saeka said. She broke the seal and unrolled it. Inside, was some neat and organized writing that she recognized as Sesshomaru's from the few times he wrote anything.

Dearest Saeka,

I want you to know, that whatever I have done to you in the past, I never meant any of it and I wish to take it all back. The pain I caused you is nearly unbearable and I do not wish to cause you any more pain than you've already endured, both in my presence and at the valley where my father left you. Perhaps you were correct, and the Time Travelers were right when they ordered us to part. Ill luck has pursued us since the day we became one, and following then; I have come to the conclusion that you would be happier if I weren't in your life. Perhaps it would be best if it would be like I never existed. I have removed almost everything that suggested my presence was near you, to further encourage you to find a new mate, and rebuild your life in a safe and warm fashion. I want nothing more than for you and Saaya to be happier in a life that I was unable to provide you. For once in my life, I admit defeat and I will retreat from the battle gracefully. I will for you to understand, that no matter what happens, I will always love you more than words can describe, though I am trying my hardest. I do not want you to die, for then I would likely lose control, control that I fight so hard to enforce. Only you have ever been past my barriers to see the real me, the part that I locked away many years ago, never to be brought into the light ever again. You found that part of me that even I'd forgotten about. Somehow, you convinced that part to shine through, changing me inside and out. Thanks to you, I learned to care and be compassionate, something that I once considered foolish and a waste of time. You were the world to me, and as long as the sun shines upon your beautiful face, you will always remain thus.

There is but one thing I ask of you, now, before I depart. I ask that you forget all about me. I will leave for distant lands, though I won't stay in the western boundaries. It's time I faced my fate, wherever it may lie and whether it means my death or not. I will promise you one thing before I conclude this final confession. After you read this letter, I can promise you that you will never see me again. You will never be burdened by my presence and you will be free to restart and lead a happier life than you had while with me.

I hope for the best for you, and I'll never stop loving you. What I can't say in words, I managed to confess in writing. May you always be happy and smiling, though I will never see that smile again. I will never be able to hear your song-like voice as you speak to me, or see your eyes, and their breathtaking shade of green that I must admit, captivated me from the very start. I'll never feel your silky hair again, see it blow in the breeze and see you turn to find me, though I fail to understand the adoring look you always donned when this happened.

Please be safe and please, don't try to find me. If you come looking for me, I promise, I will leave Japan. Forever.

I love you and I always will.

Best of luck and regards,

-Sesshomaru

Saeka dropped the letter and collapsed on the floor, sobbing bitterly.

" No! NO!!!" she cried, her head buried in her arms. Kagome felt her eyes brimming with tears and she covered them with her hands, her shoulders shaking. InuYasha was numb with shock. For one thing, he had no idea his brother was so poetic as Saeka had read the letter aloud and for another, he couldn't believe Sesshomaru had done this. He shook his head in disbelief and took Kagome into his arms, stroking her hair absently. Kaede bowed her head gravely.

Saeka shook her head, still crying. " He doesn't even know! He doesn't even know!" she cried.

Kagome broke away from InuYasha and gathered the healer into her arms.

" Saeka." She whispered. " I'm so sorry."

" He saved me, Kagome!" Saeka whimpered. " He saved me!"

" What does she mean?" InuYasha asked.

Kagome didn't answer him.

She knew what Saeka meant.

Sesshomaru stood on a rocky outcropping on the mountains facing the village below him. He stared at Kaede's cabin grimly. He could faintly pick up Saeka's scream of grief as she read the letter. The sound of it almost made him regret his actions and return to her. But he forced himself to stay put and content himself with her memory. He knew this was for the best. He'd done nothing but plague her existence since the day they met and now, he wanted her to try and start her life over. He really had removed everything that reminded her of him from her life. Well, except Saaya. He couldn't remove her but everything else.

Sesshomaru sighed bitterly and shut his eyes, afraid that he might unlock the one true emotion that would make him normal, the ultimate forbidden emotion: sadness. This in turn would lead to the one thing he hated more than almost anything.

Tears.

He shook his head angrily and whirled around. He glanced back at the village one last time. " Farewell, Saeka." He whispered into the wind. With that, he turned and bounded over the rocks, and out of sight from the village.

A/N: WAAAAHH! I was dreading this part so much! I was crying during the writing of Sesshomaru's letter to Saeka! It's so sad!!! This story has started the ball rolling to the climax! Oh, woe is me! To end the story is horrible! I've loved it for so long!!!!! But there is going to be another book following this one. Trust me. I can't end it like this.


End file.
